


A Technician's Tale

by DarrowFire15



Category: The Muppets - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Backstory, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 25,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28796709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarrowFire15/pseuds/DarrowFire15
Summary: Ben is the Muppet's Light Technician that never seems to talk unless necessary. His friends are few within the group of weirdos and he doesn't seem to completely fit in. But what is his story? How did he get there? What was his life before the Muppets?Warning! There is some language in here and a few fighting scenes! If you are not comfortable with those, please leave!I do not own the Muppets, they belong to Jim Henson and DisneyBen is my OC
Relationships: Janice/Floyd Pepper, Zoot/OC
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Words: 657**

A cold wind howled in the streets as the moon rises in the sky. Flurries of snow began to blanket the ground and the tops of buildings, trees, and vehicles. Christmas had rolled into the year again, leaving the streets bare and empty. Very few cars drove on the street for these nights as families sat in front of a fireplace, warming themselves up. Many shops played jolly music through their speakers and sold many items that were fancied to children and adults alike.

Between a few of the shops sat a figure at the edge of an alleyway, his body now barely shaking from the freezing temperature. He was a small figure with teal skin and on his head was green hair that had grown past his shoulders. Over his eyes sat round sunglasses with a large crack in the left lens. They were supported with a blue nose under the rim. Next to him was a black bass guitar case with the said instrument laying securely inside. He had only a worn-out t-shirt and jeans on his body, which didn't help with the wind passing by. More cars passed the alleyway, pulling gusts of air into the narrow space. The figure's hands were numb and stiff, not even his fingers were strong enough to move a muscle.

"Mommy, why's that man sitting there?" a little girl asks as she and her mother pass him. She points a gloved finger at him questioningly.

"Don't look, hun, that man is dangerous. Just keep walking, OK?" the mother responds, quickly ushering her daughter away from the figure. The mother utters "Human disgrace" under her breath as she passes him. They are long gone when the next gush of wind picks up a couple of snowflakes and brushes against the figure once again.

 _This is it,_ he thought, _I can see my gravestone: Benjamin, a disgrace to everyone he met and everyone he didn't get to meet. Now that I think about it, I won't even_ have _a gravestone, I'd just rot on this corner for the next few decades to come or a garbage truck will pick me up and add me to the pile of unwanted objects. I should've done this the first winter anyway._ Benjamin's eyes slowly closed, feeling the hand of death that awaited him.

Then, there was a voice that caught his ears. It was gruff, yet kind and seemed to be located right in front of him. However, the smell was what struck him as odd. The voice's owner had the faint scent of a dog as if they came out of a sea of puppies.

"Hey, bud, are you awake?" the voice asked. He tried to speak, but the cold must've finally frozen his throat. It must've gotten to his eyes too because they refused to reveal the voice's owner. The least he could do was shakily hold out a frozen hand to the dog-scented person. A large hand holds the frozen one, attempting to warm it up.

"Woah, you're freezing, kid. Here, lemme help you". He's suddenly picked up into the arms of the stranger and pressed against their body. The voice's owner felt soft like animal fur and he could feel a long scarf wrapped around their neck. The dog scent became more prominent, but the warmth was what he focused on. He huddles against the stranger and begins to fall asleep as they reach down for his instrument case. More harsh gusts of wind whistled in the air to only brush past Benjamin's ears, making him feel secure in their arms. This stranger made him feel safer than the alleyway ever did on some nights. 

"Let's get you to my place and warm you up. Maybe some food too," the voice says before he completely blacks out. He did not know where they were taking him, but it could not have been far from the alleyway or the town. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Words: 1745**

Benjamin wakens to the crackling of a fire and, what sounded like, snoring. He slowly opens his eyes to the ceiling of a room. The light was dimmed down for the light of a fire. Sitting up, he takes in his blurry surroundings and notes every exit in case this was an emergency. Two windows to his left with a lit fireplace between them and ahead was a cushioned rocking chair with a brown dog sleeping on top of it, snoring quite loudly. Behind the chair was a grand piano that reflected the fire's tongues. To his right, over the back of the sofa he's laying on, was the entrance to a kitchen. A strong whiff of dog food emitted from the direction. Behind him was a hallway that led to the front door. He sees his half-broken sunglasses sitting on the table behind him and grabs them, immediately restoring his vision of the area. A blanket had been laid over his body and a pillow elevated his head. Both were soft and clean.

"Oh, hey, you're awake," the same voice comments from the chair. Benjamin turns his head to the now awake, now speaking, dog. He had a black round nose and long floppy ears. His face was a lighter brown and he had black irises for eyes.

"You've been out for a few hours, I thought you didn't make it," he says again, sitting up in the chair. Benjamin moves to the arm of the couch and sits against it, ready to sprint if needed. The dog must've sensed his uneasiness because his next movements were slow and calm.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, bud. The name's Rowlf. Rowlf the Dog," Rowlf introduces himself, holding out a hand, er paw. Benjamin reluctantly leans forward and shakes it. Every few seconds, he would check all the exits of the room in case this dog couldn't be trusted.

"Can you tell me your name? Just so I don't keep calling you 'bud', you know?"

"B-Benjamin," he replies with a scratchy voice. A coughing fit followed not long after, shaking his whole body. Rowlf hurries to the kitchen and returns with a glass of water, holding it out to Benjamin. The coughing fit dies down a bit as Benjamin glances at the glass first and then the nearby window. He doesn't know what to do. Should he run? Should he take the water? How does he know he can trust this dog? So many questions in so little time. They circled his mind like vultures over roadkill until one finally flew down and took the first bite.

Moments pass before two shaky hands reach for the glass and bring the liquid to a pair of lips. The water was soon gone along with the previous coughing fit. For the first time in, what felt like to him, decades, he appreciated having a non-contaminated liquid flow down his throat.

"You must've been thirsty, huh?" Rowlf asks as Benjamin holds the empty glass. All he does is nod and hand the glass back to the dog. It was as if he was a child in a new environment with new experiences.

"Hey, are you hungry? I have some leftover food if you want," Rowlf adds from the kitchen. Benjamin peaks over the back of the couch to nod again, looking a little eager. Rowlf stayed in the kitchen reheating food as Benjamin wraps the blanket around himself. Rowlf returns with some soup in a bowl and helps his new friend eat it.

"Careful there, it's a bit hot. I have a few questions for you if that's OK".

"It's fine".

"How long were you living there?" Benjamin stops to think.

"A few years, I think. I do not remember". An empty bowl is handed back to Rowlf. Since Benjamin's memory isn't the best, the next set of questions are given no definite answer. Bits and pieces did begin to come back, but everything else was indecipherable. The house suddenly groaned from the strong winds and now heavy snowfall outside.

"Well, you can stay with me. Just until the weather warms up again," suggests Rowlf, noticing the large white flakes. Benjamin looks at him in surprise. He's letting him stay? Wouldn't he kick him out?

"Why?"

"Why not? Besides, it's a blizzard out there and you still need rest".

"But, am I not a burden to you?" Rowlf looks at Benjamin and shakes his head. The same sense of security briefly returns. Perhaps this offer would help him.

"Thank you, Rowlf".

"No problem, Benjamin. Always happy to help". Benjamin lays his head on the pillow once more and falls asleep, watching the flames of the fire rise and fall. The dog looks over, seeing the kid fast asleep under the soft blanket. A content smile lay on his face, happy that he could help the stranger.

"Jim would pretty happy," he mutters under his breath as he leaves the room.

Christmas arrives a few days later. Rowlf has a quick video chat with the rest of the Muppets in his room, unbeknownst to Benjamin. He was sitting on the floor in front of the couch, tuning his bass.

"So how's Robin holding up over there?" Fozzie suddenly asks.

"He's been doing great. Very happy staying with me this winter," Kermit replies with a smile on his face. Robin hops past the camera, quickly waving at everyone. They wave back and continue to talk.

"So Rowlf, what's up with you this winter?" Gonzo asks first. All attention is directed at the brown dog. For once, he gets a say in these conversations!

"Well, I've been helping this guy who almost froze to death. He's staying here until spring, so it's been nice having another person around the house". Everyone gives a surprised look. Even Zoot, who's been sleeping the entire time, perked up at the news.

"You brought a total stranger in your home? I mean, I know you're being nice, but what if he turns on you?" Rizzo speaks up. Pepe agrees with a hum.

"I already talked to him and he's not dangerous. Actually, he's the cautious one out of the both of us. Pretty polite too". Questions soon overwhelmed the video chat and traveled to Rowlf's ears. During the chaos, Benjamin knocks on the dog's door and silence fills the space again.

"What's up, Benjamin?" he asks to the door as it cracks open.

"Pardon the interruption, but do you have a tuner somewhere?"

"There should be one on the windowsill next to the piano".

"OK, thanks". Zoot moves a little closer to the camera, claiming a spot next to Floyd. The door closes behind Rowlf with a soft click before more questions are thrown out.

"Was that him?"

"He needs a tuner? Does he have an instrument?"

"Is he named Benjamin?"

"Moi must meet him immediately!"

"Does he like bears?"

"Especially bears that wear neckties and tell jokes?"

"What about boomerang fish?"

"Does he know about the American Constitution?"

"Guys, guys, relax! I'm just taking him in for the winter. No need for so many questions!" the dog assures, waving a paw in the air.

"That kinda sounded like a girl," Zoot suddenly comments.

"I think your hearing is off, Zoot," Floyd adds on, "that sounded like a guy".

"I do believe I heard correctly, but then again, that did sound like a female imitating a male," Uncle Deadly chimes in, giving everyone a small scare. Aside from the jump-scare, a few Muppets did take the two comments for thought.

"I would've liked to meet him if I was over at your place, Rowlf!" Walter says with a smile. Rowlf smiles back as everyone logs off. He walks out of his room and to the living room again, seeing Benjamin slip his instrument back into the case.

"Congratulations, you were one of the topics in the video chat".

"I was? Interesting".

"Yeah, everyone wanted to know more about you, but I didn't say anything and I don't want to make any dumbass assumptions about you," he adds on, taking a seat on the couch. Benjamin sits next to him crossed-legged and begins to pet him, the fur smoothing out from the action.

"Is that why it was quiet when I came in earlier?"

"Yup, they were seeing if you'd show your face. They're a bit disappointed it didn't happen".

"I haven't even met them yet and they want to see me". A chuckle escapes past Rowlf's mouth as he lingers on the thought.

"Even if you did meet them, they wouldn't want you to leave the room".

"They are good people?"

"The greatest. A few are a bit strict, but everyone is pretty nice". Silence envelopes the air again, but it was nice and peaceful for a Christmas with snow. It's rare to have snow in recent years, especially around the big holidays that circle it. The white flurries were beautiful behind the window.

"Say, how exactly _did_ you survive out there?" Benjamin's hand stops moving as he thinks about how he even survived the past ones. They were cold and almost gave him frostbite. He'd gotten frostbite on his toes the first winter. He thought he'd have to cut them off because they were so numb and stiff. Last year seemed worse because someone had stolen the blanket that he used. Some of the fabric was tearing, but it had worked until he lost it. If you didn't die from the cold, it was most likely from starvation. Food is the most scarce during those months. The luckiest you could get was a breadcrumb and you'd even have to fight the rats for that.

"You have to have quick thinking to survive at least one winter".

"But this one wasn't your best?"

"Can we change the subject? I do not wish to talk about this".

"Of course. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable". The petting continues and the two just stay on the couch talking about random things. Benjamin learned more about Rowlf's TV history. How he starred on the Jimmy Dean Show, promoted Purina Dog Chow, and eventually ended up with the Muppets where he's stayed ever since. When it was his turn to talk, he revealed very little about his past. A good family, good life, and a few ups and downs to top it all off. He'd rather not talk about the rest of it and Rowlf respected that. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Words: 1594**

True to his word, Benjamin stays with Rowlf until spring where the sun's rays melted the remaining snow on the ground, and shops opened their doors to let the warm air seep in their buildings. Benjamin returned to the alleyway he called 'home', thanking Rowlf for his kindness. His clothes, sunglasses, and instrument stayed the same as before because he insisted that nothing needed to be replaced.

Of course, not everything was the same. One day as he wakes up, a gang, with about four or five members, was standing in the space with spray paint. Their leader noticed Benjamin's presence instantly.

"Hey guys, look who it is!" he exclaims, pointing. The other members looked over and smiled.

"Well, if it isn't Ben back from his icy grave!"

"I thought you finally froze to death this winter!"

"Then who the hell is standing in front of us?"

"I don't know, but what do we do, Boss?"

"I say we finish the job, guys. The less of this freak around here, the better," their leader suggests, grabbing a nearby baseball bat. The others follow behind him, still retaining their smiles. All except one. He stayed behind with a fearful look on his face before sprinting out to the other end. Everyone watches him scamper off and didn't think much of it until Benjamin grabs a nearby broken piece of wood.

_Thwack!_

The gang leader soon held his face in pain. His cheek had a few splinters in it and was red from impact. Angered, he holds up the bat and swings back. It misses completely and hits one of the other members in the chest. Benjamin roughly kicks the gang leader in the stomach, pushing him to the ground. Cans of spray paint fall from the other member's hands as their leader holds his stomach in pain.

"Listen, this is _my_ alleyway and if I find any of you, here again, you're getting the same treatment as this boy who you call "Boss". Your friend that ran off? He's the smart one. Now leave before I change my mind!" He yells at the gang. They all scamper out of the narrow space with their leader limping behind. Once they leave his sight, Benjamin sighs and sits down at his spot. Long hair falls over his eyes when he looks down.

"Teenagers. Always jumping before they think," he mutters as he takes out his bass. The instrument was a dark purple with scratches littered on the neck, head, and body. It was missing the A string and had layers of tape holding a few sections together. Some tabs were missing completely. Even though it's partially destroyed, it still works fairly well. Benjamin plucks a small tune on the strings, though the sound can't be heard too far.

This is his routine in the warm months. Sit in the alleyway and play his quiet bass. Occasionally, someone will throw some money in his case and it usually ends with another homeless person running past and taking the change. A vicious cycle of earning and stealing. As he plays the tune, he hears a passing conversation over the corner. It was between two men and they were arguing about something that seemed important.

"But can you fix it?"

"I could if I hadn't left my ladder at my house. I'll have to do it later today when I can swing by home".

"But I need it done today! That light has been flickering for the past week!"

"I'm sorry, I just can't do it right now". Benjamin looks at the light they're talking about. It was a tall streetlight that looked as if the bulb had burnt out, yet the bulb itself looked normal. While the two voices continue to argue, Benjamin places his instrument down and walks to the light. A box of small lighting equipment sat at the base. Thanks to some quick thinking, Benjamin grabs the box and places a foot on the pole.

It isn't long until someone points out the green-haired man climb up the pole to the light. He was working on the light in a dangerous position. A small crowd was gathered near him, watching in both shock or fear. Rowlf was among those watching in shock. Only a few minutes had passed when he slides back down the light and hands the box of tools back to its owner. Rowlf walks away from the crowd and pulls out his phone, dialing a certain frog's number.

"Kermit? It's Rowlf. I think I found our new light technician. Who is it? Let's just say I lent a paw to them in the winter".

Once the crowd dissipates, Rowlf approaches Benjamin at the corner again. It seemed strange that the brown dog would talk to him again, seeing that they haven't spoken since spring came around.

"Hey, bud. Nice to see you again," he greets with the wave of a paw. Benjamin looks up, coming face to face with a familiar person.

"Hello? Do you require something from me?"

"More like suggest something to you. Remember the Muppets?"

"Yes, I remember you telling me about them". He packs his instrument in its case and stands up.

"Well, we've been searching for a new light technician and I think you'd fit the job perfectly". Benjamin stares at him in surprise. A job that he can do? It was a miracle! What were the consequences? A good job with good pay could at least get him on his feet. He was jumping for joy internally.

"I would have a job?"

"Only if you want it". Moments pass before he picks up his instrument case and slings it on his back.

"When do we leave?"

\----

Rowlf pulls up to the studio where everyone was working. Past all the chaos was Kermit's office, where the said frog was hiding behind his desk. Benjamin follows Rowlf through the office, observing everyone he passes. They pass a guy with a bucket of fish, a singing couple, and what looked like a shrimp. It all confused him, but no questions were asked even after they arrive at the door.

"Kermit? It's Rowlf, can I come in?"

"Rowlf? Oh, yeah, you can come in". The door opens, showing Kermit's office and Kermit adjusting his chair.

"So this is the guy I told you about. You remember Christmas, right?" Rowlf says, closing the door behind them.

"I remember him a little. Greetings, Benjamin," Kermit replies, holding out a hand. Benjamin shakes it while nervously holding onto his case strap. Anything could happen in the room. The worst thing that could happen is him not getting the job. Kermit slides over a piece of paper and a pencil and asks him to write down his personal information. Sounds of writing fill up space as Rowlf and Kermit discuss what they want to do to help Benjamin. Once he finishes writing, they stop talking and Kermit quietly reads over the paper.

"You _seem_ qualified, but I want to see your work on one. We have a broken spotlight in storage. Let's see you fix that," Kermit suggests. The three of them leave for the storage room and found the spotlight easily within the mess. Benjamin sits down in front of it, taking off his instrument case. A box of tools was conveniently next to it and he begins to work on the light. Minutes pass and he closes up the wiring box with a satisfying click. Rowlf plugs it in an outlet and the bulb lights up. He really fixed it.

"Benjamin, you're hired as the Muppet's new Light Technician!" Kermit congratulates with a smile.

"I am? I am shocked, thank you for this opportunity," Benjamin replies, standing up and shaking his hand.

"Of course. You can start work tomorrow". Kermit walks back to his office. Rowlf hugs Benjamin, causing the green-haired man to tense up at the contact. Even though it was just a hug, he didn't feel as comfortable. It felt odd and a few memories rose into his mind. They aren't the good kind either. He kindly pushes the dog away and grabs his instrument case. 

"Benjamin? Sorry, did I scare you?"

"No, you are fine. I just don't want any physical contact from anyone right now". He rushes out of the room, tightly holding the case strap in his hands. Running through the office proved to be a bit confusing with so many people in there. He eventually finds the exit and waits for Rowlf to follow. The area where Rowlf hugged him was still faintly there like a fresh burn mark. What started as a good day quickly turned around at that moment. Rowlf walks out of the building and towards Benjamin.

"Hey, I'm sorry I did that. I didn't know you don't like hugs and should've asked beforehand. Are you OK?" he apologizes, standing next to Benjamin.

"You are fine, Rowlf. It just, uh, scared me is all," he lies, trying to stop himself from shaking.

"Do you wanna celebrate at least? I can order some food and we can hang around my place". Benjamin nods before putting his case in the back seat and getting in the passenger seat. He didn't feel like doing anything for the rest of the day, even if it was a nice drive.

"Thank you for helping me, Rowlf," he says as the dog gets in the car.

"No problem, bud. Always happy to help. What would you like to eat?"

"I am fine with anything". 

"One burger coming up then".


	4. Chapter 4

**Words: 2108**

When the sun rises the next day, Benjamin was already at the studio standing on the side. Rowlf had dropped him off earlier so he could set up his tavern for the day. He clutched his instrument case tightly as everyone passes in front of him. What was he supposed to do? There aren't any lights needing to be fixed at the moment, so how should he pass the time?

"Hey, uh, are you 'Benjamin' by any chance?" a bear with a headset asks.

"That would be me, yes," Benjamin replies, staring at him. Having a bear randomly walk up to you is a little terrifying, especially at work where you don't usually find them.

"Hi, I'm Bobo. I'm here to give you a tour of the place by Kermit's request".

"Of course".

"Is it OK if I call you 'Ben'? That would make my job easier".

"Yeah, that is fine". Bobo proceeds to walk around with Ben at his side, pointing out the different rooms and hallways of the building. Every twist and turn made Ben feel a bit dizzy and lost, but Bobo gave him a map just for that reason.

"Now, one rule is to stand clear of Miss Piggy. She's a bit dangerous when she's angry," Bobo adds, pointing to her dressing room. You could faintly make out some arguing from inside.

"I will take note of that," Ben replies as they walk back to the office area. Yolanda notices the two and waves them over.

"Heya, Bobo. Anything new today?" she asks, sorting through some papers. Ben walks up to the desk and stands next to the bear.

"Good morning, Yolanda. We have the new guy here". He motions to Ben, making her gasp.

"Oh, don't you look like the cutest thing! Welcome to the Muppets, hun!" she exclaims with a smile. Ben waves in reply, still nervous about his new surroundings. Suddenly, a big monster runs up to them. He was brown with a red nose and two large teeth protruding on his bottom jaw. Out of fear, Ben hides behind Bobo as the big monster places a box on Yolanda's desk.

"There you go, Yolanda! The package finally arrived!" he says, patting the box carefully. Ben continues to stare at him from behind Bobo. Whoever this is was tall like a giant. He had ragged clothes and looked as if he could stop a semi-truck mid-drive. In a nutshell, he was scary.

"Thank you, Sweetums. I've been waiting for this to come. Say, you remember the new guy from that Christmas chat? He's working with us". Sweetums shakes his head, finally noticing Ben's presence. He kneels and greets him.

"It's OK, new guy. I won't hurt you," Sweetums assures. Ben walks out from behind Bobo and shakes his hand cautiously.

"It is nice to meet you, Sweetums," Ben greets before Sweetums gets called for something else. Yolanda comments on Ben's attire while he's distracted. It's still the same shirt and pants he wore on the streets. She suggests going to a guy named 'Uncle Deadly' to see if he has some extra clothes for him.

"I know Bobo said not to go to Piggy's room, but you'll probably find him in there. You can't miss him". Ben looks over at the diva's dressing room and reluctantly walks over to knock on the door. However, he decides against the action upon hearing the continued angry yelling from the other side. Perhaps another time would be better to ask him.

"I will ask him another time. He seems busy at the moment," Ben states as he stands next to Bobo again. Yolanda nods and grabs the box while Bobo wanders off, forgetting that Ben was standing at his side. This now sparked some fear in the new technician. He was alone in an office he barely knows about with new workpeople he doesn't recognize. Pushing past the fear, he walks through the room passing the desks and potential new work friends. Everything suddenly halts when he bumps into, what felt like, a brick wall.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" a voice shouted. Ben looks up at its owner and his heart almost stops beating. The owner of the voice had grey skin and black, unkempt hair along with a beard on his jaw. His eyes had purple bags under them and the irises almost looked bloodshot, minus the blood. A hunched over stance fully showed his clothes. He was in a dark, calm green shirt, brown pants, and black boots. All pieces of clothing had the smell of gunpowder wavering off them. They stare at each other for a second, not a word was spoken between them. It was as if he could read past Ben's shades and into his very soul.

"My apologies, sir. I, uh, did not mean to run into you so roughly".

"Why don't you watch where you're going," he simply states, walking away with a sigh. His voice sounded drained with that statement as if he pulled a week of all-nighters. Ben finds his way back to Yolanda's desk and decides to stand next to it for the rest of the time.

"Your name is Yolanda, correct?"

"That's my name. Whatcha need?"

"Who is the man with the black hair?" Ben points to the same man he bumped into. He roughly brushed shoulders with the guy holding a bucket of fish as he leaves the room.

"Him? Oh, that's Crazy Harry, our pyrotechnic. He works a majority of the fireworks, special effects, and explosives. Well, they used to be actual explosives, but he had an accident involving the authorities in 2010 and now he can only use fake ones," Yolanda informed, "why do you ask?"

"I had accidentally bumped into him and he seems a bit irritated".

"Oh yeah, he's been like that for a few weeks now. No one knows why he's been like that. Not even Lew knows what's up, and he's one of Harry's few friends," she adds, motioning to the man with the bucket. He had yellow skin and a red round nose. Under his nose and on his head was a brown mustache and brown hair. The resemblance was almost that of a clown, only without the make-up and outrageous clothes.

"Poor guy... I wish we could do something, but no one is really up to being accidentally deafened or blinded". Ben looks where Crazy Harry had exited not moments ago and made the quick decision to follow the pyrotechnic. After weaving his way through the office once more, the trail he was following looked as if it ended past the doors. He takes out the map Bobo had lent him and tried to find his location. Two more doors on his right swung close abruptly with a familiar-looking shadow walking away.

Past those doors were the back exit that leads to an empty parking lot. Strangely enough, there was a large pile of scrap metal that seemed to be from previous stage set-ups. Rustling was prominent from inside the pile as Ben stepped closer. A variety of screws, nuts, and bolts were thrown into a plastic container that held even more of the said objects.

"Where is it?" someone mumbled as the same familiar figure stood up from the pile. It was obvious who it was just by looking at his hair. He sighs and ducks down again, moving larger pieces of metal away. One slipped off and fell to the concrete, causing the sound to echo for a few blocks. It scared both of them greatly because it made Harry freeze in place and Ben almost falls on his butt.

"Argh! Stupid piece of scrap. I swear, one day I'll take it to the nearest volcano and melt it into nothing-" Harry turns around to find the newest member of the Muppets standing in front of him. Usually, he'd throw an array of colorful language at the inanimate object for the noise it produced. With his new audience, however, he decided against it.

"Hey, you're the guy I bumped into earlier. What are you doing here?" he asks from his spot. A toothpick could be seen settled in his mouth. That was not there when he saw him earlier.

"I was wondering where you had wandered off to and I have found you," Ben replies, attempting to not anger Harry even more. The pyrotechnic raises an eyebrow, but shrugs it off and continues his search.

"What are you searching for?"

"Well, I doubt you know what a three-inch screw looks like, but I'm looking for that". Ben looks at the pile and steps towards it. Near the base was a screw that looked to be three inches long. He picks it up and holds it in the air.

"I believe you are searching for this, Mr. Harry," Ben calls out. Harry's head pops up and he maneuvers down the pile to the ground. After a brief inspection, he confirms that it's the correct length and shoves it in his pocket. His signature smile begins to grow on his face, but stops in the middle and falls back into a neutral look.

"Thanks for finding this, uh".

"My name is Benjamin".

"Ben, right. Are you the same 'Ben' dude from that video call thingy?" Everyone seems to have a surprisingly good memory from Christmas.

"Everybody seems to know me from the video chat".

"Only the ones who were on there. I wasn't on there, but everyone kept talking about you when we came back to work". Ben adjusted his instrument case around his shoulder while Harry grabs the plastic container. Both head back inside where a meeting was being called for all the Muppets. All the Muppets were there, and the noise was deafening. Kermit stood at the head of the group, trying to get everyone's attention.

"Uh, guys? Hello!?"

"Mr. Kermit, what is happening?" asks Ben as he observes the gigantic crowd. Yolanda, Lew, Bob, and Sweetums could be easily picked out, but the other strangers were unfamiliar.

"Allow me, Mr. Kermit," a man with green skin and glasses interjects. He wore a lab coat complete with a tie and rubber gloves, giving off the idea that he's a scientist. A taser was in his hand and he tased the man with orange skin next to him, producing a scream that rose above the other voices. Everyone stops to watch the man get tased, much to the majority's dismay. The skinny man fell to the floor with a thump, yet barely anybody seemed concerned.

"Bunsen, will you please find another way to get everyone's attention next time? Sheesh," Kermit suggests to Bunsen. With everybody's attention directed at the same place, Kermit starts the meeting with a quick question.

"Scooter, where's the band? I thought you said you got everyone".

"Oh, sorry Chief," an orange boy named Scooter speaks up, "the band got called in for a gig not long ago. They said they probably won't be able to come back the rest of the day".

"Well, anyway, good morning, everyone!" Kermit announces, "as some of you know, we've recently been having a few problems with our spotlights and have been looking for a light technician to fix them. Well, I can now happily say that we've found the best person for the job!"

"So, does that mean the rumors are true? Is it that Ben dude who joined us?" a rat asks.

"I was getting to that, Rizzo. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce our new light technician, Benjamin! Yay!" Kermit introduces, motioning Ben to step forward. Ben gives everyone an awkward wave as nobody makes a sound.

"You know, you're different than what I thought you looked like, but you still look pretty cool," Scooter speaks up. Welcoming smiles light up on a few faces, killing the awkward silence.

"Yeah, you look like you know your way around the city!" Rizzo agrees enthusiastically, his smile as big as ever.

"Yes, but it seems as if the señor hasn't gotten a bath or better clothes," a shrimp adds on. The group all agree on the statement, noticing the tattered clothes and broken shades he wore along with a smell.

"Other than those things, welcome to the Muppets, Ben! We're so happy to have you here!" a man with brown hair and yellow skin greets. Ben looks at everyone who is either smiling at him or introducing themself to him. It made him feel like he was worth more than just some guy on the street. The feeling was strong and joyful, somehow knowing he found something great.

He found a family.


	5. Chapter 5

**Words: 1916**

Once the meeting is dispersed, a blue dragon-looking creature strides up to Ben, wearing a fancy suit. His eyes were green with a black sclera, giving off a ghostly dead appearance. By this point, Ben's wondering if he made the right decision to agree with Rowlf for the job.

"Greetings, Benjamin. I am Uncle Deadly and it's a pleasure to have you here," he greets, standing to the side of Ben.

"It is very nice to meet you, Mr. Deadly".

"Now, everyone heard from Pepe about your... fashion dilemma," he mentions, gesturing to his clothes, "and I am here for just that. If you follow me, we can go to the prop closet and see what we can revise from an old costume". They travel to the closet, where a rack of old costumes from their previous film productions sat, collecting a layer of dust. Uncle Deadly walks to the rack and brushes off the dust from a purple suit.

"Why don't you take a look at some of these? You are the one to possibly wear it". Uncle Deadly moves out of the way so Ben can take a gander at the old costumes.

"Are you positive I can look through these?"

"I wouldn't have brought us back here if we weren't supposed to". After looking through all the costumes, he pulls out a white shirt and grey jeans that also came with a white jacket. (It's Gonzo's attire in that bicycle scene during the Great Muppet Caper)

"You've chosen that?" Uncle Deadly asks, a little disgruntled about his taste. Ben shrugs and hands the outfit to him.

"Just to start with. I do not want anything that draws much attention towards myself," Ben explains, quickly adjusting his shades. Deadly mentally take note of the crack and missing bits from the left lens for later.

"As you wish, Benjamin. I will possibly have these ready for you later this week with an extra touch, of course". They leave the room and Deadly walks off in his direction. Ben takes out the map of the building once again, beginning to memorize the layout.

\----

By the end of the day, Ben had wandered throughout the entire building and memorized a few places he might be needed at the most. He even memorized a few new names, like Walter, Fozzie, Camila, and Gonzo. Though it was a lot to take in on the first day, Ben has the rest of his life to know the others he passed.

"Ben! Oh, there you are!" Walter says, walking up to him. He had learned about how this Walter guy had saved everyone twice. If anything, the guy is practically a hero.

"Is there something you request, Walter?"

"Actually, yes, there is. I want you to meet Peter Linz, my puppeteer!" he explains, "he's a great guy and I know you'll like him. Maybe the other puppeteers are there too! That would be great if you could meet them all!" Ben looks at the superfan in confusion before Walter takes his wrist and drags him to a nearby room. Inside the room sat six(6) men, all looking over a script of some kind. Walter releases his grip on Ben's wrist and walks up to the one with curly, dirty-blonde hair. 

"Hey guys? Remember the light technician Kermit hired? Well, this is him". he asks all of them. Everyone looks up at him and the one with black hair and small rimmed glasses notices Ben.

"Guys, meet Benjamin. Benjamin, meet the Muppet puppeteers!". An awkward wave is passed between the seven(7) of them, additionally with a smile from the one with black hair. Walter points out each of their names and who they puppeteer. More names to remember wasn't helping Ben on his first day.

"That one is David, correct?"

"Yup!" Time began to stop when he saw all sets of eyes directed at him. No one broke the silence like the big group did just hours before and the silence was deafening. He couldn't tell if they were judging him or not. What if they don't like him and have Kermit fire him? Are they even people he can trust? It was too much for him.

"Oh, I shouldn't have put so much pressure on your first day, sorry," Walter apologizes. Out of the corner of his eye, Ben spots an object heading towards him and freezes in place, waiting for impact. When nothing happened, he looks over to see a hand extended out to him by, who he thinks is, Matt Vogel. He reluctantly shakes it and quickly walks out of the room out of nervousness, passing many Muppets once again. All this was just the first day! Had no one heard of taking things slow for the new guy?

"Ben! Wait, I'm sorry!" yells Walter from the room. The voice was faint as he walked farther and farther away until he was standing outside with the same pile of scrap metal in the empty parking lot. Ben sits against the wall and slides to the ground, hugging his instrument case to his chest. For the first time in a long while, he felt like crying his eyes out. He never shed a tear on the streets because it was a sign of weakness and gangs target you first. This time was only because he couldn't help it. Acting tough for as long as he has was building up some pent up emotions inside.

"Woah, did I interrupt something?" Ben looks up to see Crazy Harry at the doorway. He wipes away any tears that fell and stands up, slinging his case on his back once more.

"I am fine".

"Oh, so crying then wiping away tears automatically means you're fine?"

"I said that I am fine, Mr. Harry. Drop the subject". He tries to push past Harry, but the pyrotechnic stops him and looks straight into his eyes.

"Look, I know when someone is and isn't OK. Mainly because of my explosion experience, but that isn't the point! Now, what happened?" Tears began to well up in his eyes again, but he blinks them away to seem strong. He lives on the streets for crying out loud! Letting his walls break now isn't going to help when he goes back out tonight.

 _It's just like in the streets,_ he thinks, _keep saying that you are fine and they leave you be._ Ben tries to push past Harry again and ends with the same result as the first time.

"I am fine-"

"Quit lying and tell me! You shouldn't have to lie here". Those words finally broke through to him as tears finally fell down his face.

"There's so much I have to remember and I have to memorize your names and that Walter fella introduced me to the puppeteers and I don't even remember who is who. It's too much for me on the first day," he finally explains. Harry sighs and shakes his head at his friend's repeated actions. They've lost more new people than they've gained because of this.

"You know what? I'll slip a letter to Yolanda about this and it'll work its way to everyone so they can take it easy on you. Trust me, they did this way too many times". Ben stays silent after but nods at Harry's plan. They walk back inside to Yolanda's empty desk and Harry writes a quick note for her to see.

"I think the Swedish Chef has some food or something. How about we check that out?" Harry suggests. The mention of food was enough to cause his stomach to answer. Using his growling stomach as an answer, Harry leads Ben to a table lined with food and the Swedish Chef standing behind it.

"Don't ask him how he serves his meatballs, trust me on this," he adds before walking to the Craft Service Table. The Chef looks up and says something indecipherable to Ben. Even Harry was confused, yet he didn't show it.

"Yeah, hi, Chef. You got anything that's, uh, edible for the new guy?" The Chef replies with gibberish before holding out a regular apple to Ben. He takes the fruit and begins to eat it. It felt weird that he didn't need to steal from anyone or dig through the trash this time. Harry starts a conversation with the Chef that, let's be honest, probably didn't make sense in either of their perspectives.

"Thank you for the apple, Chef". Swedish Chef replies with an OK sign and the two walk away.

"Well, we have to go home soon, but I'll see you tomorrow," Harry says, getting ready to leave. Ben holds out his hand to Harry, giving the pyrotechnic a questioning look.

"It was a pleasure talking with you today, Mr. Harry".

"Same to you and just call me 'Harry'. No need to be so formal". Harry shakes Ben's hand before leaving through the front entrance. More Muppets followed suit with somewhat tired faces.

"Remember everyone, same time tomorrow! Bright and early!" Kermit shouts, making sure everyone could hear him. They all reply with nods, thumbs up, or yelling back completely.

 _They sure do have very unique ways of replying,_ Ben thinks. Yolanda walks up to Ben and stands next to him, striking up another conversation.

"Do you have a ride with someone, Ben?"

"I am waiting for Mr. Rowlf. I do hope he does not work late".

"Why don't you just wait in his tavern?" Ben tenses up when she mentions the tavern. He would rather not stay in there surrounded by the scent or bottles along with intoxicated customers.

"I refuse to be in a building that holds large amounts of alcohol. I will be fine waiting here".

"I'll wait with you. Got nothing better to do anyhow".

"Would there be another reason?"

"Having company is better than being alone, you know". The two proceed to wait for Rowlf and finally get to know each other.

"I'm sorry we piled so much on you today, Ben. We just want to make you feel welcomed," Yolanda apologizes. Ben waves his hands dismissively, but thankful he got an apology.

"You kinda talk like Sam. He's the blue eagle walking around".

"He has the appearance of a professional," Ben comments, remembering his tall stance and serious expression. Rowlf finally walks out of his tavern and locks the door behind him. Yolanda bids Ben farewell until the next day and walks off. The brown dog walks to Ben and smiles.

"Not to be a Dad, but how was the first day?"

"It was... interesting to say the least".

"Yeah, they can be pretty interesting. Hopefully they didn't scare you too much". Both begin to walk to Rowlf's car, continuing the conversation.

"No one scared me. It was just an excessive amount of pressure on me".

"I see. Oh, sometime this week, we'll get your glasses fixed. And maybe a new prescription too," Rowlf adds as he starts up the car.

"Mr. Rowlf, what can you tell me about Crazy Harry?"

"Harry? Oh man, well," Rowlf begins, "there isn't much on him that I know. We needed a guy to work the stage on the original show and then he just showed up! No background or anything but his name and his knowledge about explosives. He's kind of a background guy now, but Lew probably knows more than me". By now, Rowlf had stopped at a stoplight

"Thank you for the information".

"No problem, Benjamin". 


	6. Chapter 6

**Words: 1980**

The week passes by quickly and by Friday, Uncle Deadly had Ben's new attire finished. When Ben arrived that morning, he was pulled to the side and pushed into a changing room with the new clothes hanging nearby. Both articles had a completely different color on them with the jacket becoming more of a beige than white. The shirt color was changed to pale orange and the pants to a darker gray. Uncle Deadly got Ben's measurements on his second day of the job. Ben changes into the clothes and looks in the mirror. He didn't think he would be able to obtain clean clothes again. It felt soft to the touch.

"Benjamin. I do suppose you would like to _show_ me how it looks, do you not?" Deadly asks from outside. Upon stepping out of the room, a smile could be seen on the phantom's face.

"It fits perfectly, doesn't it?" he asks. The technician nods, still a little speechless.

"Many thanks, Mr. Deadly. How can I repay you?"

"Oh, there's no need for payment for this, sir. Consider it a welcome gift from me to you". Ben nods and grabs his case, leaving to the stage. As he walked to the room, distant drumming could be heard along with the strumming of a guitar. It seemed like he was experiencing Deja Vu once he walked through the doors to the stage. There on the stage were six(6) people grouped. Each had an instrument in hand and were cheering on the one on the drums.

It was a band.

For Ben, this spelled trouble with a capital 'T'. He did not need to be involved with another group of pushovers and he _especially_ did not want to be in the same room as them. A quick sneak-over to the sound booth proved useful to not get caught by the loud group. Ben carefully leans his instrument case against the wall behind him. Unfortunately, the instrument case's weight caused it to fall over with a loud Bang! Everyone in the room jumped while Ben ducked behind the booth and pulled the case close to him. He could hear the band's conversation.

"Woah! Hey, man, what was that?" one of the band members asks. This one had a gravelly voice

"I dunno, but it was loud enough to wake up Zoot!" another one interjects, causing the rest to laugh.

"Hey, whatever it was wasn't the Wild Man's doing this time". More laughing follows as Ben sneaks back to the office area. In the corner of the room, he opens his case to check on his bass. An entire part of its body had broken off and large cracks could be seen in the head. The G string finally snapped and the neck was split into two(2). In a nutshell, it's finished.

"Oh wow, that doesn't look good," Walter comments, kneeling next to Ben. Ben shakes his head and takes the broken pieces out before closing the case. After a few years, it finally breaks. It's not salvageable for another use and the cost for the entire thing to be fixed is very high. He isn't willing to give it up after his time on the streets.

"Is it a bass or a guitar?"

"An Ibanez Bass".

"Nice! I think Floyd has one called Fender". Ben raises an eyebrow at the name. That is not a very common name to hear.

"Who is this 'Floyd' person?"

"Oh, he's-"

"ANIMAL! DO NOT THROW YOUR DRUMSTICK!" Kermit's voice echoes from the stage. Everyone in the office stops to listen to the commotion. Ben puts the broken pieces of his bass in his case's pocket and slips it on his shoulder.

"THROW! THROW!" a loud voice yells back. A thud could be heard shortly after along with loud laughter. Kermit walks into the office with a frustrated face, causing everyone to go back to work. He looks over at Walter and Ben, who both stare back in utter confusion.

"I don't suppose that you know how to fix a wall, Ben," he assumes. The technician shakes his head as Kermit grabs ducktape from the closet and hands it to him. He fixes lights, not walls!

"Well, could you go in there and just put a piece over the hole for now? Thanks". Kermit leaves without another word. Ben looks at the doors Kermit walked out of and swallows. It should be a short task to complete. All he needs to do is put tape on the wall, no big deal. Perhaps the band is taking their break. He walks to the stage once more and sees a drumstick poking out of the wall. Someone with immense strength must've thrown it there. Maybe it's this 'Animal' person he heard. For the next few minutes, Ben struggles to pull the drumstick from the wall.

"Geez, Animal, you must've gotten it jammed in there real good!" someone comments behind him. At that moment, he finally pulls it out of the wall and places it on the floor. While he tears off a piece of tape, a red hand reaches over and snags the drumstick off the floor. Ben covers the hole and turns around, coming face to face with a man breathing heavily. He had red hair, torn clothes, and donned a metal collar attached to a chain around his neck. Inside his mouth was sharp teeth that looked like they could break the skin. The overall appearance looked to be of a savage beast with one thing standing out: he was holding drumsticks.

No doubt about it, this must be Animal.

"Hi!" he greeted very loudly. Ben was, more or less, frozen in fear. Animal began to circle and sniff him. Was this not a violation of personal space? Should he call for Harry or Bobo? It wasn't long until they were face to face again.

"Wo-man?" he asks. The technician raised a finger to his lips and lowered it when he understood. He let out a sigh and tried to make his way back to the office, not once breaking eye contact with Animal. It seemed to be going well until he bumped into someone else since his gaze was fixed on the drummer. Turning around again, he faces five(5) more new faces.

One had a gold tooth and was the most colorful of them all, wearing a floppy top hat with a feather. Another one had big fluffy yellow hair with his eyes in a permanent squint, dawning a goatee on his chin. Two(2) of them stood next to each other, the male had an orange mustache and long hair pulled in a low ponytail, and the female had closed eyes with straight, blonde hair. Ben had bumped into the man with sunglasses and a deep blue hat on his head.

"Who are you?" he asks, tightly gripping his case strap.

"We am, is, are, and be, they whom are known as, the Electric Mayhem!" one of them exclaims. The realization hits him like a truck as he stares at the group of individuals.

This was the band he'd sworn to himself to avoid. No turning back after this encounter.

"Hey, man, you OK there? You look a bit shaken up," the one with the mustache comments. Animal bounds over to him and stands on the other side of him. A drumstick is pointed at Ben and Animal repeats "New man" to the others.

"Oh, you're the new lights guy the Frog informed us about," the one with the gold tooth says. Ben nods while he extends his hand to him, stretching his arm. Hesitant shakes were exchanged before he retracts his arm.

"I'm Dr. Teeth. Golden teeth and golden tones welcome to my presence!" he introduces. The one in the mustache steps forward and salutes Ben.

"I'm Sgt Floyd Pepper, I blow bass". A salute was given back to Floyd to avoid any awkwardness. On his back was a bass with a black outline and a red-orange middle. The girl next to him steps up and holds her hand out. Slung on her back was a guitar that was orange.

"Like, I'm Janice, I'm the lead guitar," she says as they shake hands. Janice fixes her guitar strap on her shoulder when she stands next to Floyd again.

"You must've already met Animal, our drummer," Floyd points out, scratching the said man's head. His foot was thumping on the ground in delight. The man Ben bumped into tapped his shoulder.

"I'm Zoot and, uh, what's my intro again?" he asks, looking at the man with the goatee. After a minute, he finishes with, "Oh, yeah, sax is my ax". Seeing as Zoot is the shortest member of the group, Ben wasn't as tall as they are. Ben was almost as tall as Zoot.

"This is Lips, our trumpet player. He doesn't talk much," Dr. Teeth introduces, motioning to the goateed man. Lips gives Ben a wave while he fiddles with his shirt. He looked as nervous as the technician was.

"So, what's, like, your name?" Janice asks. The technician fiddles with the strap wearily. Was this another rouse he could be falling for? He can't fall in that rabbit hole again, but he's going to be seeing these people daily.

"My name is Benjamin".

"It's nice to meet you, Benjamin". Floyd points to the case on his back as if asking about the item inside.

"Is it a guitar or bass?"

"A bass"

"That's nice, man! You and I should jam out sometime" Ben nods and brushes past the group to the office area. Crazy Harry was walking by when he comes through the doors. A quick trip was enough to catch his attention. Waiting for impact proved useless when two(2) arms reached out and caught him.

"Geez, watch- Oh, it's only you," he says, holding Ben. Something falls out of his pocket onto the floor with a rattling sound. Harry helps him and quickly snatches the object off the ground.

"Do you need anything?" he asks with his hand behind his back. Ben shakes his head and watches Harry walk away with the unknown object. It seemed important if he walked away so quickly. The color looked to be orange with some white on the top and sides. He follows Harry and watches him walk into the men's room.

Inside, Harry stood at the sink and opened the object. A pill fell in his hand and was thrown in his mouth. He faced the mirror the entire time, not once looking anywhere else.

"The Hell are you doing in here?" Harry asks abruptly. Ben steps towards him and points to the bottle of medication.

"It's a pill bottle, what else is there?"

"Why do you take them?"

"Because I'm a pyrotechnician! I work with explosives and effects and when I'm not doing that, I still can't stop myself from hurting others!" exclaims Harry, leaning over the sink. A visible scowl lay on his face.

"Get out".

"Pardon-"

"Get out! This isn't your problem!" Ben steps back but doesn't leave. He steps towards him and hesitantly lays a hand on his shoulder. Harry doesn't move, letting out a sigh.

"You don't listen, do you?"

"I have stopped listening when I was first thrown out on the streets. I wish to assist you the best way I can". The pyrotechnic looks at Ben and pats his hand gratefully. Floyd walks into the room and sees the two at the sink.

"Don- Er, Harry? Are you OK? We heard you yelling," he asks, carefully stepping forward. Harry straightens to his normal stance and shoves the bottle into his pocket.

"Just fine, Floyd. Nothing to worry about". Floyd nods and leaves the bathroom with Ben and Harry trailing behind.

"Thanks for checking in, I guess," Harry says to Ben. He nods and walks to the office area. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Words: 1980**

Ben walked around the office for the next hour and a half, talking to other muppets that seemed nice. The only issue is that he avoided the stage area, where all the lights are located and the band was hanging out for the entire day. Crazy Harry eventually encouraged him to take a step inside the room, but the process was difficult.

"Ben, you gotta take a step inside".

"I refuse". Harry sighs, looking at the door. Not even Rizzo could get him to step inside and he's the most convincing out of everyone.

"Jesus, you're stubborn. What's wrong about the room?"

"May I not answer that question?"

"Look, if you go in there one more time today, I won't bug you about it anymore. Do we have a deal?" Harry holds his hand out in an offer, which Ben shakes without a thought.

"We do".

That's how Ben got into the room in one of the seats with his case next to him. Broken pieces from the body sat in his hand. Purple shined off them from the lights above. Sweetums was sweeping the stage floor with a giant broom.

"Hey, Ben!" someone shouted from the stage. The broken pieces were shoved in his pocket as Floyd walks up to him. No eye contact was given to the bassist as he sits next to him. Maybe he's just tired?

"So, you've hit it off with Harry, huh?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're buds now! Friends? Acquaintances? C'mon, Ben, stick with me," he replies. Ben fiddles with the broken pieces in his pocket quietly, creating a small clinking noise. Floyd notices this and points to the pocket.

"What's that in there?"

"It is nothing".

"Unless you got some kind of currency in there, I don't believe it". He pulls his hand out and shows the broken off pieces to Floyd. The bassist hums as he looks at the pieces and picks one up with his thumb and pointer finger.

"The pieces are from my instrument," Ben says quietly. Floyd motions to the case and Ben reluctantly hands it over. Placing it on the floor, he opens it and sees the damage from before. Its paint was chipping off at the head now and the broken string curled up in the middle.

"Did you recently break it?"

"Over an hour ago, yes".

"You know, I can probably fix this for you, but it'll take a while. Animal's broken mine more than I can remember," he comments, realigning the broken neck. Animal bounds over at the mention of his name and look at the broken instrument. Janice had followed suit, sitting next to Floyd.

"That looks rully bad. I'm guessing Animal broke it?"

"First of all, this isn't my bass. Second of all, Animal didn't break this one". She notices Ben sitting on the other side of him, messing with the broken pieces.

"Oh! Was this what made that big crash from earlier?" Ben nods and adjusts his shades. Janice hums and takes another look. The two quietly talk to each other, possibly sorting out an agreement, before turning back to Ben.

"I can fix this for you over the weekend, Ben. All you have to do is let Jan mess with your hair a bit," Floyd says, holding out his hand. He thinks over the offer. A few days without his bass felt like losing his only security. On the bright side, he'd have it fixed brand new and possibly playable. Reluctantly shaking his hand, Ben hands over the broken pieces to the bassist and he walks off with the instrument.

"He's gonna put it in the van. For now, let's go to our hangout. We'll have, like, a ton of fun," Janice proposes as she stands up. Ben doesn't get to answer because she grabs his wrist and leads him to the room almost instantly with Animal following behind. The technician pulls his wrist from her grasp, yet continues to follow her per Animal's request.

Past the entrance was the rest of the band. Lips and Zoot sat on the floor cleaning their instruments and Animal takes a seat next to Dr. Teeth on one of the couches. A faint whiff of cannabis was in the air, reminding Ben of something from his childhood. He almost turned around right then and there had Animal not motioned him to walk in more. Zoot briefly looks up from his cleaning to watch Ben pass him. Janice brings Ben to the other couch and seats him in front of her, grabbing some hairbrushes and combs.

"So, let's get all the tangles out first," she says and begins running a brush through his green hair. Few tangles came undone, causing him to grunt in pain.

"Man, that must hurt," Dr. Teeth comments, looking up from his phone. Ben winces again, holding his head.

"I'm trying to be as gentle as possible". Lips looks up from his trumpet and stands up. He holds out his hand and Janice gives him the hairbrush, letting him take her seat. The trumpet player takes Ben's hair and brushes out the tangles seamlessly. After he finishes, Lips pats Ben on his shoulder, making him tense up.

"Wow, thanks! You know what to do, fer sure".

"My Ma's technique, Valley Girl". Lips sits down again and talks to Zoot, who jolts awake at his voice. The technician glances at Zoot, staring at his sunglasses. Something about the saxophone player drew him in, much to his dismay, and it's not his physical appearance. Could he have possibly had a similar situation? It bugged him a bit. Floyd walks back in and pulls out his bass, tuning the strings.

"Hey, Ben, how long have you had that bass?"

"I believe I received it when I was sixteen(16) years of age". Dr. Teeth whistles in surprise and Animal's eyes widen.

"Ah! So, you're a professional?"

"I am not a professional. If I could recall anything from my lessons, I would be a professional". Ben crosses his arms over his chest. Janice takes his long bangs and combs them out.

"Well, it's still neat that you play".

"Didn't Rowlf say you live on the streets?" Zoot speaks up.

"Yes, I do believe he, uh, stated that," Ben replies, hugging himself more. Animal picks up on his behavior and walks over to nudge his hand. While patting his head, Ben glances at Zoot again. The same feeling comes over him as if Zoot knew about everything he went through. It was a strange thought, yet he ignores it again. Maybe it was a strange intuition, but he didn't want anything to do with it. Animal's foot thumped on the floor in delight when Ben scratched a specific place.

"Well, Zoot once slept in a phone booth for three(3) months!" Floyd exclaims, followed by a laugh. The saxophone player shoots him a look that could only be described as 'annoyed'. Lips shakes his head and puts away his trumpet.

"Man, I wish you could've seen him!"

"Floyd, drop it".

"Real definition of 'homeless' right there".

" _Bass Man..._ "

"If it weren't for us, he'd still be on that street corner where we found him!"

"Oh, Pepper, you are so dead!" Zoot suddenly springs to his feet and charges at Floyd. Quickly and carefully throwing his case on the couch, Floyd also springs to his feet and begins to run off. They run out of the room along with their antics, causing Lips to sigh. He was putting his friend's instrument in its case for him.

"Have the two done that often?" Ben asks, pointing. Janice just laughs and continues to brush out his hair. She runs her fingers through his hair, completely straightening it out. Minutes pass when Floyd runs back in and ducks behind a chair as Zoot runs inside. A scowl rested on his lips as he panted heavily.

"When I find him, I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch," he mumbles, stomping inside. The bassist curls into a ball, trying to stay quiet, but he hits one of Animal's toys. For the next minute or so, a frenzy erupts from the two men. Insults and a few fists were thrown at each other while Dr. Teeth and Lips tried to break them apart. Janice looks over at Ben, seeing him curled into a ball and covering his ears. Animal notices too and he begins to yell at Floyd to stop fighting.

Through Ben's eyes, everything was a blended mix of memories and reality. He'd see the two men fighting each other in reality, then his brain shifts to a similar memory of his old friends and one of their drunk fights. Floyd and Zoot's yelling wasn't helping either. Each insult was distorted into his old friend's voices through his ears. Nothing made sense at that point. His first reaction is to curl up, then cover his ears. The least to say, that wasn't working.

"Pepper! You take that back!"

"Make me, Zoot!"

"Stop Fight! Stop Fight! Animal stop fight!"

"Bass Man, apologize!"

"QUIT IT, YOU TWO!" Dr. Teeth exclaims, finally pining Floyd's arms behind his back. Lips was holding Zoot in a tight headlock, his eyelids tilted inward. The four men excused themselves outside again. Dr. Teeth glances inside, seeing Ben curled up on the couch and Janice trying to make him curl from his spot. More insults were thrown outside with Lips standing in the middle of them, a hand on each of their chests.

"Alright, you two, simmer down. No one needs bruises or a black eye for the rest of the week. Besides, I think your fighting stirred up a bad spot in the new guy," he whispers once they're outside.

"Floyd started it, Doc".

"Oh, that's _real_ mature, Zoot!"

"You wanna go again, Pepper?!"

"Do you, Zoot?!"

"Remember who is between both of you," Lips speaks up, silencing them. On a physical level, Lips does know how to fight. Not better than Animal, but pretty good. They reconcile with a pat on the back.

"I believe you two should apologize to our new friend in there to start". Floyd and Zoot walk back into the room, seeing Animal and Janice attempt to make Ben uncurl from his position. Animal was rubbing his arm calmingly and had even leaned his head on him, but neither of those helped.

"Please, can you sit up? You're rully scaring me". Floyd stands behind Animal as Lips, Zoot, and Dr. Teeth trail behind.

"Ben? Look, we're sorry. We ain't fighting anymore. Can we see your face?" Floyd asks, rubbing his back. Zoot kneels in front of him, noticing the change in his breathing.

"Hey, I want you to breathe for me. Follow me, in and out," he says just over a whisper. In a matter of moments, Ben's breathing becomes stable and he uncurls from the position. Slowly uncovering his ears, the mix of reality and memories fade off and he sees six pairs of eyes staring at him worryingly. Janice leans over for a hug, but he holds his hands out.

"You're OK. No one's hurting you," Zoot says again.

"Look, we're sorry. We didn't know you hate yelling and fighting," Floyd apologizes, rubbing his neck.

"I appreciate your kindness, however, I should ask for some work from Mr. Kermit. Excuse me". Ben stands up and heads to the exit. He pushes past Lips hurriedly, his head facing down the entire time. The bassist sighs and picks up his instrument.

"Man, I feel bad. Pressing on Zoot and hitting a bad spot in the new guy".

"Floyd, it was, like, an accident".

"Perhaps he'll feel better after the weekend, Floyd". Zoot shares a concerned look with Lips. Something tells them that he won't be better, even after having a few days off of work. Lips glances at the door again before sitting on the floor. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Words: 2209**

During the weekend, Ben was anxious about his bass. Every time he'd sit down, he would reach for his case, but then remember it's in the possession of Floyd. Petting Rowlf is a small substitute for the instrument, but not enough to fully calm him down. He yearned for the return of it and hasn't been able to sleep a wink.

"You look tired, Ben. What's up?" Rowlf asks, sitting next to Ben. It was Monday morning before the dog would drop off Ben at work. Right now, he looks like he could fall asleep at any moment. 

"My apologies, Mr. Rowlf".

"For what?"

"Was I not falling asleep just now?"

"No, but you can take a nap in the car. That should wake you up," Rowlf suggests before walking to the car. He follows him to the passenger seat and they head to work. During the car ride, his eyes felt heavy and he closed them. A dream seemed to spring out instantly.

First, he was standing in a room with one spotlight on him. Voices echoed around him before a hand reached out and grasped his neck, lifting him to someone. A figure in all black stood before him, the only thing you could see was its white eyes. It was towering over him, creating the spotlight he's standing under. The grip on his neck vanished into mist as the figure's voice echoed around him. Lights became dimmer as he fell into the dark abyss below him.

"Wake up..."

"Wake up".

"Ben, wake up!"

Jolting awake, he looks at his surroundings. He was still in the car but they were parked outside of the studio. Rowlf motioned for Ben to get out and he did. Harry was the first to greet the technician as he walked in.

"Rough night last night?"

"I was unable to sleep for personal reasons". A hand reaches out and rubs Ben's shoulder reassuringly.

"Better than me. Got insomnia, so I get zero sleep almost all the time," he says. Looking over, Ben notices the bags under his eyes. He wasn't lying. They walk into the office area and are greeted with Kermit yelling "Code Red" to everyone. Harry pushes him under a nearby desk and attempts to join him when a familiar voice shouts to him.

"You! With the black hair! Get me a red pen!"

"S-Sure, Piggy!"

"Call me _Miss_ Piggy!

"Miss?"

"That's it! Hi-ya!" She pulled back her arm and swung it forward, hitting Crazy Harry in the ribs. Her strength was enough to push him back a few feet and onto the floor before stomping out. Everyone stands up from their hiding spots while Ben crawls out to Harry.

"Now I know how Floyd feels and that ain't a good thing..." he groans. He was rubbing his chest as he sat up.

"Whoa, Harry! Are you OK?" Lew asks as he walks to them.

"Just a bruise. I'm used to it". Ben brings Harry to his feet and sets him on a nearby chair. Janice and Floyd walk in after hearing all the commotion.

"Oh, wow! Did Miss Piggy come through here?" Janice asks, looking around. Harry groans loudly, catching the couple's attention.

"Damn, she hit you hard. You OK, Harry?" Floyd asks as he walks over. Ben looks away from them keeping his gaze to the floor. Lew explains to the couple what had happened to Harry. The pyrotechnic stares at the ceiling in boredom.

"Oh, I'll go grab my healing crystal. Be right back!" Janice exclaims before walking off.

"I'll just find an ice pack for ya, Harry," Yolanda says as she walks off as well. Floyd finally notices the technician's presence as Janice walks off. He could see how uncomfortable he felt standing next to him and thought it would be a good opportunity to apologize.

"Ben, about Friday-"

"I do not wish to speak of those events".

"I just wanted to say that the band apologizes. None of us wanted the new guy to feel uncomfortable and I was a dumbass to push Zoot's buttons". Ben looks over, slightly shocked. Wasn't the fight his fault? Wasn't he the main cause of the outburst?

"Is that why you were being chased by Zoot?" Harry asks, grinning.

"Yes, that was the reason. I've learned my lesson".

"That's what you said last time". Floyd punches his arm playfully as soon as Janice walks back in. In her hand was a crystal.

"Don't worry, Harry. My healing crystal will get you up in no time". Ben looks at Janice questioningly. How was a small rock supposed to help Harry? Harry sees his confusion and pats his arm assuringly.

"She does this a lot, get used to it". Janice finished her 'healing' with the crystal and walks away with Floyd just as Yolanda walks back with an ice pack.

"Here ya go, Harry. If ya need more, you can find it in the fridge," she informs. Harry grabs the pack and holds it against his chest, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Do you require any assistance today, Harry?" Ben asks with his hands behind his back. Harry shrugs and stands up, wobbling a small bit. Lew helps to stable his stance.

"Yeah, we can help you around the office today!" he adds. Harry opens his mouth to interject the idea, but Ben could see him changing his mind when a wave of pain courses through again.

"Fine, but only for today. Tomorrow, I work on my own," he accepts. Lew smiles and pats his back happily while Ben nods. Harry's work consists of taking calls and writing notes. Ben took care of the writing and Lew was in charge of the incoming calls. They learned that when Harry gets bored, he sketches the old remains of a blown-up building. Most of them are very realistic with small, intricate details. Having seen a lot of buildings blown up, he can draw realistic sketches with ease. Sometime in the middle of it, Lew helps Harry stand up, alerting Ben who was writing a note.

"Taking a bathroom break. We'll be back in a bit," Harry says as the two walk away. Ben continues to write as others pass the desk. Zoot watches from afar for a second but walks off after Dr. Teeth called for him. He doesn't notice Zoot looking at him, only looking up when Bobo bumps into the desk. Janice passes the desk as Ben brushes his messy hair away from his eyes. She pulls up a chair and sits next to him.

"You look like you need a haircut, Ben," she points out. Ben tucks a strand behind his ear, ignoring her comment. He didn't care for his hair at the moment, only focused on writing the note.

"What use would I get from a haircut?"

"Well, your hair can be out of your eyes, it might feel lighter than what you have now, and it'll be easier to manage!" Janice lists. Ben stops writing and sighs. He does want a haircut, but his previous experiences with those places cause him to avoid them at all costs.

"I do not wish to go to a business for my hair cut off".

"Why?"

"Some places do not take in people whose appearance is not the best," Ben lies. Though a very weak reason, a reason nonetheless. Janice nods and looks to the ground, thinking. Suddenly, she springs up and grabs Ben's arm.

"I have an idea. Come on!" She says, pulling him from the desk. Ben follows her to the band's hangout place as she grabs a few items inside and then to the empty parking lot at the back. In the guitarist's hands were a pair of scissors, a hairbrush, and a handheld mirror. She had a smile on her face and got the scissors ready.

"Since they might not let you in, I'll do the honor of, like, cutting your hair! I'm not a professional, but I can try," Janice says, snipping the scissors in the air. Ben nods and turns around. He could see the strands of hair fall to the ground and be blown off by the wind. Turning around again, Janice takes his long bangs and cuts them to an almost short level. Within minutes, his long, green hair was shortened to almost a pixie cut. The scissors are put away and the brush is pulled out, untangling the ends.

"So, how does it look?" Janice gives Ben the mirror and he looks at his hair. Running his hands through the short strands, a smile climbed onto his face.

"It looks very nice, thank you".

"No problem! It definitely suits you!" she exclaims. They walk back inside, Janice walking to the band's hangout and Ben finding his way to Harry's desk again. Lew and Harry had returned while he was away, sitting on their chairs with a bored look on their faces. Once Ben sat down again, their faces became surprised.

"When did ya get that done?" Harry asks, tapping Ben's head. Ben swats his hand away from his head and returns to writing the previously abandoned note.

"Aww, don't be like that! We wanna know who did it!" Lew adds in. An exasperated sigh leaves Ben's lips, knowing they won't stop until he tells them

"If you must know, Ms. Janice is responsible for-"

"Janice did that? Aww, that was sweet of her". The three of them look over at Yolanda, who was just passing through and also noticed his new haircut. She was surprised and intrigued.

"Yes, she did. I do believe she did a nice job, especially my bangs," Ben adds. Yolanda nods in agreement.

"I was thinking about straightening my curls, y'know? Whatcha think about that, guys?" Yolanda asks the two men sitting awkwardly near them.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sounds nice, Yolanda," Harry speaks up. She was going to say something else before Kermit calls out to her and she walks away.

"You're gonna be a hit for conversations again, Ben," Harry comments. Ben nods, finishing the last note.

\----

Harry began to feel better as the day went on. The bruise on his chest was looking better, yet was still a little tender. He insisted that he could work the rest of the day on his own and Lew and Ben obliged. Lew was going to try his boomerang fish act in the meantime. Ben, however, was now left to do nothing. He started walking around the office area, accidentally bumping into Carl's desk once or twice.

"Hey, Benjamin! Wait up!" a familiar voice sounded behind him. He turns around to see Floyd Pepper again, sauntering towards him.

"Yes, Mr. Pepper?"

"Just call me Floyd. I need ya to follow me to the van out in the back," Floyd beckons for him to follow and Ben reluctantly does. They pass Angel Marie with some of Piggy's costumes and Sweetums with a giant package before arriving at the parked vehicle.

"Why are we out here, Floyd?" Ben asks, observing the bright colors on the van. Floyd opens the sliding door and climbs inside to the extra seats behind the back seats.

"Well, I got something for ya. Lemme grab it". After some fumbling, he grabs a familiar instrument case and holds it out to Ben. He takes the case and lays it on the ground, opening it up. Inside was his purple bass guitar with everything fixed up. There were new strings, the body didn't have any cracks or broken pieces, and the neck had been reconnected. The purple was more vibrant, having been cleaned, and the tuning pegs now reflected the light from the lights above. A smile creeps on his face as he picks it up and plays a few notes. Each one sounded a crisp, clear note.

"Thank you, Floyd. It almost looks brand new," he comments, rubbing the neck.

"After the whole thing on Friday, I wanted to make sure this made up for how we were actin'. I even cleaned your case for ya. So, is it worth it-" Floyd is cut off with a small hug before Ben puts away the instrument and slings the strap over his shoulder, walking back inside. He smiles and closes the sliding door. Ben walks into the office again and locates Yolanda's desk once more. He stands near it, rubbing the strap in his palm. No grains of dust or dirt was found in the material.

"Hey, when did you bring your bass in?" Harry asks, walking towards him. The shining case had caught his attention.

"Floyd just gave it back to me. He offered to repair it over the weekend," Ben explains. Harry nods and takes another look at the case. Zoot walks over also, having noticed the case too.

"Looks nice, uh".

"Benjamin".

"Ben, right. I'll remember it, I swear". Zoot also notices his hair, a look of awe settling on his face. He goes silent for a few moments before Harry waves a hand in front of his face. He quickly snaps out of the small trance he was in and briskly walks away.

"Huh, weird. Or maybe not weird? I don't know". Harry walks off and Ben gets called to somewhere by Scooter. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Words: 1954**

The week passes by smoothly and Ben has warmed up to the other Muppets quite a bit. Even though everything was fine, there was one thing he desperately needed and it requires assistance from a certain blue phantom. The first thing he did when he arrived one morning was walked to Miss Piggy's door and reluctantly knocks on it. There was no response at first, so he knocks again more loudly.

"Excuse me, Mr. Deadly?" he calls out. Some shuffling is heard from the other side before the door is opened by the phantom. He was holding Gloria Estefan in a baby carrier around his chest.

"Yes?"

"I need to ask a favor from you in private".

"Oh, this is secretive. Give me a second to gather my things," he says, closing the door again. Moments pass when Uncle Deadly returns with his sewing supplies and Gloria Estefan. He takes them to a separate room and closes the door.

"Alright, we're alone. What is it you need?" Deadly asks. Ben lets out a sigh before he begins to talk again.

"I am asking for sworn secrecy until I am comfortable with the rest of the Muppets," he begins.

"You have my word".

"Thank you," he starts, "I have not told anyone, not even Mr. Rowlf, but I am a transgender male. I did not have top or bottom surgery yet and my current chest binder is falling apart. I was hoping you could create one for me?"

"Ah, that makes sense".

"You are not angry?" Uncle Deadly shakes his head, taking out a yellow, flexible tape measurer.

"I had suspected something was different when hearing you over that call. Zoot commented that you sounded like a female, but you covered it up expertly," he adds on, "I can make a binder for you". Deadly walks over and wraps the tape measurer around Ben's chest. Ben looks away and focuses his attention on the wall. He pulls the tape measurer away from his chest and writes down the measurements.

"I'll see what I can do, Benjamin. It might take me a week or so, but it can be done. You may leave," Deadly informs. Ben nods and leaves the room. As he was walking out, a figure bumps into his side roughly, almost sending them both to the floor.

"Woah, sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," he apologizes, stepping back. Ben straightens up and looks at the person. The familiar blue skin and eyes instantly made him recognize the person as Zoot, the one who spoke little to none next to Lips.

"Oh, Ben. I was, um, just looking for you!" Zoot says surprised.

"Greetings, Mr. Zoot," Ben replies, passing him without a second thought. Zoot lays a hand on his shoulder, making him stop and turn to the saxophone player. He seemed nervous, but he shook it off and asks what he needs.

"Hey, uh, do you- do you wanna go, um, go hang out- Not like a date, just hang out like, like friends sometime?" Zoot asks. He was fiddling with his shirt sleeve as he talked.

"I would enjoy a 'hang out' with you, Mr. Zoot. Whenever you are free is fine with me," Ben replies, holding his hands behind his back. Zoot takes out a small piece of paper and looks at something written on it, muttering the words quickly under his breath.

"How about today at, um, 12 PM? My treat. We can talk and get some food or something," he trails off at the end, quickly shoving the paper in his pocket. Ben thinks about his schedule, or more lack of one, and nods in agreement. Zoot lets out a sigh of relief as Ben starts to walk off again. He stops the technician once more and he turns around. Zoot lets out a breath.

"Hey, I'm sorry for... for everything your first week. I was a dumbass and got angry, which doesn't happen a bunch- The point is that I apologize for everything and anything I've done and hope you can forgive me," he says. Ben looks back at him and nods before walking away, leaving Zoot standing behind awkwardly. He catches up with Harry, who shoved the orange pill bottle in his pocket again.

"Hello, Harry. What have you got in your pocket?" Harry briefly pulls out the bottle before shoving it in again. From what Ben could see, he had it refilled recently. He still doesn't know what they are for, but he's determined to find out soon.

"Anyway, I've got nothing to do. How about we walk around the studio for a bit?" Harry suggests. Ben nods and they take a small stroll around the building. As they walk, Harry starts a conversation to break the silence ringing in their ears.

"So, what have you been up to?" He begins.

"Nothing at the moment, however, Mr. Zoot invited me for lunch today".

"Lunch, huh? That's new".

"Really?"

Harry nods. "He hasn't done that since the first season of the Muppet Show".

"Mr. Zoot was in a relationship?"

"Yeah, dated Janice until they broke up for... who knows what".

"He also added in that it was not a 'date', whatever that means. Do you know what a 'date' is, Harry?" Harry looks at him strangely but shakes his head.

"Know it?" he asks, "I've been on a few a long time ago. It's a thing that couples do to show their affection to each other. All romantic and 'I love you's and blah blah blah". He sticks out his tongue in disgust. Ben observed his behavior on the subject. Harry seemed to dislike anything romantic to the point of hating it. A change of subject would help the mood.

"Pardon my interruption, but what can you inform me about Mr. Zoot?" he asks, tapping his shoulder. Harry looks down for a second, trying to think. For a few moments, he doesn't say a word, just thinking

"Zoot? Uh, he sleeps. A ton. Sleep, sleep, nap, sleep, etc." he finally answers. Ben tilts his head. That wasn't very much for him.

"That is all?"

"You're gonna need to talk to Lips if you want more info".

"The quiet trumpeter". Harry nods, running a hand through his hair.

"Those two are the best of friends. So quiet and calm".

"I will ask Mr. Lips if he has anything to say".

"Good luck". They circle back to the stage where the band is and Harry breaks away from Ben. The technician walks to the group of musicians, keeping his gaze to the floor. As he approaches, he hears their conversation.

"Wow, ya really asked him for lunch!" Floyd exclaimed, patting Zoot on the back.

"That's absotively and posilutely wonderful!"

"Didn't know ya had it in ya!"

"Thanks, guys".

"Nice going, Sax Man!"

"Good job! Good Job! Good job!"

"Oh, wow, like, I think this is him now!" The group's conversation dissipated to silence as Ben approaches the group. He raises his head and makes eye contact with the other six(6) people, mainly on Lips. Zoot seemed to be fidgeting with his saxophone as he stared at Ben.

"Mr. Lips, may I speak to you for a little bit?" he asks. Lips looks surprised, but he walks off the stage and follows Ben to the other room. Once inside, he gives Ben a questioning look. His quiet demeanor matched Zoots indefinitely.

"What can you tell me about Mr. Zoot?" Ben asks, standing in front of him. Lips gives him a look of surprise, fear, and confusion. He began to fiddle with his trumpet, not sure how to answer the technician. Ben saw that he was a bit stressed from this and sighs.

"I am sorry, I should not have pushed you into something you would not want to do," he apologizes. Lips looks up and waves his hand in reassurance.

"No, no, It's OK. Though, you should really ask Sax Man that question," he says with a smile. Ben nods at the advice, figuring that it would be more effective if he asked Zoot directly. Their lunch hang-out was just the thing that could help him. He thanks Lips and they go their separate ways. 

\----

Lunchtime rolls around the office. Everyone was either going out or ordering to continue working in the office. Ben weaves his way through the room towards the stage, where Zoot was standing. A jacket was adorned over his shoulders. He seemed distracted by something.

"Ready to depart, Mr. Zoot?"

"Oh, yeah. All ready! And just call me Zoot," he greets, smiling. Ben nods and they make their way into town. Zoot leads them to a small cafe. They sit down at a small booth, looking at the menu. Out of the corner of his eye, Ben could see Zoot glancing at him for a moment.

"Can you tell me about yourself?" Ben asks, putting down the menu. Zoot looks up and sets down his menu as well. He seemed nervous about something.

"What? Oh, right, gotta talk during these things," he says to himself, fidgeting with his jacket sleeve. "I'm not a good conversationalist, so bear with me".

"Take your time".

"Well," he starts, "I've been playing the sax since I was a kid, got a younger sister, flunked at school big time, and kinda just burned myself down over the years with drinking or partying or whatever I did. That's all I can really remember right now. What about you?" Ben stops to think, attempting to bring up happier memories than before. His childhood comes up and he speaks.

"I was homeschooled in my youth, so my socialization skills are fairly weak. When my parents were not teaching me, they were off to work putting food on the table and clothes on our back. Because of this, I would stay with my Uncle until they returned home. Being a technician at a theater, he taught me about spotlights and would let me assist him once in a while. My apologies, I was rambling a bit," he stops, looking at Zoot. Zoot sat there with full attention, taking in whatever he was saying.

"Rambling? You? No, never. You have a pretty interesting life".

"It is not very interesting in my eyes". Ben knew he was leaving out a lot of parts, but only because of his trust with the Muppets not being at a high enough bar for him.

"Hey, better than my life. I had the worst life. How about we order?" he asks, rubbing a brown colored stone between his fingers. Ben nods, looking at the menu again. They didn't seem as different as he thought they were. In fact, Zoot seems to act similarly when talking about his past. Ben felt a bit more comfortable around him now. After ordering, they begin to talk about their favorite interests. The most notable subject is music.

"Ever heard of Charlie Parker?"

"I do not believe I have. Who is he?"

"A great saxophone player. He's the reason why I started playing the saxophone. I'm gonna have to show you some of his songs later". Their conversation lasts their entire lunch break, simmering down when they begin their walk back to the studio. At one point, Ben had started to talk about his bass playing, which interested Zoot a lot. Ben began to enjoy his presence. Perhaps this band is nicer than the one he's seen before.

"Thank you for inviting me to lunch. It was quite enjoyable," he says before they step inside.

"No problem. If ya wanna go out again, just find me". Zoot smiles and walks off to the band's hangout while Ben walks back to the office area. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Words: 2871**

_Warning: Minor s*xual assault._

When the end of the day came around, Ben stood at the curb, waiting for Rowlf to pick him up. Everyone else seemed to have already left once the show had finished. With Rowlf nowhere to be seen, Ben looked around for any places he might be. The only other place he could be was the building across the street. His tavern, a place where he wanted to avoid. Ben takes shaky steps across the street and waits outside of the tavern. He could hear the faint playing of a piano from inside. It was calming until someone slams open the door, drunkenly walking out. The smell of alcohol hit his nose and he turns away, pushing back memories that came back.

"Hey, cutie. Wazzup?" the drunk man asks, leaning over Ben. This was not good. His intoxicated stance scared Ben and he asked himself if he should punch this stranger away or not. If he did, he might start dragging him off. On the other hand, he might be assaulted again if he doesn't do anything.

"I require assistance!" he yells, hoping someone hears him. The man leans in more, the smell of whiskey scented in his breath. A hand places itself on Ben's cheek and slowly trails down his body. Ben was petrified with fear. He was stuck and there was nothing he could do about it. The man had a smile on his face as if he was winning a prize. He moved closer, enough for Ben to smell his drunken breath. However, his actions were cut short.

"Hands off the kid. Shoo! Scat!" a familiar voice yells. He looks over and sloppily runs away. Rowlf runs up to Ben, who had slid to the ground and curled up in a ball. He couldn't be there anymore, so why was he curled up? More bad memories broke into his mind as he sat on the ground.

"Geez, let's get you inside". Rowlf scoops him in his arms and brings him into the building. Ben isn't aware of his actions until he hears groups of people talking. Rowlf sets him in a booth where pictures are hung on the wall next to him.

'Wait, Mr. Rowlf! I wish not to be in here, please-"

"I know but you almost got hurt outside. I'd rather have you here, where I can see you," he explains, laying a blanket over him. Ben snuggles into the blanket a bit and looks at the collage of pictures. The majority were black and white. One of the pictures was of Rowlf with a man standing next to him. Both were smiling wide. Rowlf walks over with a glass of water and a plate with some fries, placing them on the table.

"Here's something for ya. If you need anything else, just holler," he says before walking away. Ben nods, staring at the food. He didn't feel like eating. Not after what had just happened. The places the man had touched had a strange, unwanted feeling. It felt dirty almost and he was certain that no amount of soap could clean it off. All of a sudden, familiar voices are heard. Ben peeks to the tables and sees the rest of the Muppets. He forgot about their afterparty at the Tavern. Almost everyone was there laughing, drinking, and enjoying themselves. He scans the crowd for either Harry or Lew. No luck, but he does spot the band. He tries to listen to their conversation.

"We talked about... uh, music and stuff. It was groovy, man," Zoot says. Probably talking about their hang out earlier that day. Ben sits back in his previous spot with the blanket wrapped securely around him. He glances at the fries and begins to nibble on one. For being made by a dog, they were surprisingly tasty. He fails to notice someone take a seat across from him. Someone clears their throat and Ben looks up. Sitting in front of him was a blue eagle with a stack of two(2) or more papers in his... wings.

"Benjamin, is it?" he asks. Ben nods, placing the half-eaten fry on his plate. The eagle places down the papers and clears his throat once more.

"I am Sam Eagle. I'm sure you've heard of me around the office," he says. Ben shakes his head, remembering the comment Yolanda had made that mentioned him. What did this bird of prey want from him?

"Oh, um... I'm here about some _legal matter_ regarding your work-"

"Sam! Leave them be! You can talk to them later!" Rowlf's voice rings out from the bar area. Sam sighs at the dog's command and begins to leave.

"What legal matters?" Ben asks quietly. Sam, seemingly happy about his response, clears his throat and begins to read off the paper.

"No swearing, no dangerous stunts unless approved by the network, and absolutely no inappropriate behavior around the office. I guess that's the usual rules..." Sam quickly shifts through the papers. "Oh! Do not _ever_ go in the rafters without a harness. You could get killed or severely injured".

"I believe I am smart enough to know that by memory".

"Oh, well, you have been seen around Crazy Harry and the Electric Mayhem a lot. I just figured... nevermind," he says, tucking the papers under his wings, and walking away. Ben watches him questioningly, but shrugs it off and picks up the half-eaten fry again. A few Muppets must've seen Sam walk back from the booth because they began to ask who he was talking to and why. Ben paid no mind to them and started to nibble on another fry. Another person sits across from him, seeming to fiddle with his shirt sleeve. Ben looks up again, finding Lips sitting in Sam's place. He didn't notice the technician and jumps when he sees him sitting across the table. He gives a small wave but doesn't move away.

"Uh, hey. Heard ya had a nice day with the Sax Man," he starts. Ben nods, finishing the fry in his hand. He curls up in the blanket, facing away from Lips. Yes, it was rude but neither of them seemed up for conversation at the moment. Lips glances back at his table and sighs.

"You wanna join me and the band over there or ya wanna just stay here?" Lips asks. Ben looks over at the group. Glasses of alcohol sat in front of them with the most notable of Floyd and a glass of beer. He shakes his head. Lips doesn't move from his spot and nods.

"Same here. I love them a ton, but even I sometimes need a break". Ben nods again. Zoot's voice was picked out easily and he listens close. Though a bit difficult to hear, he sounded happy about what he was talking about. Perhaps it was about Charlie Parker's music work again or finally completing one of his three payments to his saxophone. Whatever it was, he looked excited to speak about it.

"What did he say?" he mumbles. Lips leans forward a little.

"Pardon? Couldn't hear ya".

"What did Mr. Zoot say about me?" he asks loud enough for Lips to hear. Lips looks away to think, smiling a moment after.

"He's very happy about hanging with you today. He learned a lot about you he wouldn't think you'd like. Been trying to gather up the courage to do that and is relieved to finally check it off his list. Well, whatever list he's got," he replies with a short laugh. Ben gives a small smile at the thought, but it disappears.

"He is a very nice man".

"He'll be happy to hear that".

"I am sure he will". Ben looks back at the group, seeing Zoot slumped over in his chair. He had fallen asleep mid-sentence. Lips looks over and chuckles at him. That seems like something he's done plenty of times before.

"He wants to be a friend to you," Lips interjects, taking a fry and biting it.

"What is halting his efforts?"

"As I said before, courage doesn't come easy for him. Also, talking about himself isn't something he's fond of". Ben takes a sip of water and looks at Zoot once more. This strange feeling of connection with the saxophonist seemed to grow. He couldn't even describe the feeling because he was so absorbed by him and him alone. Lips seems to notice his weird acting and smiles.

"You got a crush on him or something?" Ben looks at him with a questioning look.

"What is this 'crush' you speak of?"

"Romantic attraction for someone. Y'know, like, falling for them? Wanting to be their romantic partner? Uh, take Janice and Floyd for example. Floyd liked Janice, but couldn't confess his feelings because he was scared of rejection. You get it?" Lips explains the best he can. Ben slightly nods. He wasn't into romantic relationships because of past experiences, but he does admit that this feeling towards Zoot wasn't leaving. He's grown to like it, actually.

"Is this 'crush' thing common?"

"Depends on the person. Some people don't feel romantic attraction at all". Ben nods, taking a sip of his water. Dr. Teeth waves Lips back over to their group and he departs from the booth.

"Nice talking to ya, Ben".

"You as well, Mr. Lips". Ben sees Rowlf sit at the piano and beginning to place a calming tune. It seemed enough to almost lull him to sleep. He takes off his glasses but stops when he sees the cracked left lense. It held a story buried in his mind that he would rather keep hidden. Should he ask Rowlf about it or just say nothing? He begins to trace the rim and over the crack before setting it on the table. He would worry about it after he has a small nap.

By the time he wakes up, a majority of the Muppets had already left for home. Rowlf was finishing cleaning off the counter and escorting the last remaining customers outside. Ben puts on his sunglasses and sees his table already cleaned off. He stands up and walks to the bar area as Rowlf finishes his work.

"There you are, sleepyhead. C'mon, home time". Ben follows him to his car and sits in the passenger seat. Rowlf was about to pat his shoulder but stops after remembering what happened before. The car ride was silent.

"Hey, uh, you wanna take a shower or bath when we get home?" he suggests. Ben shrugs at it, not caring about it. Though, a shower would help him clear his thoughts better. He nods after, making Rowlf smile. As soon as they arrive at their destination, Rowlf goes to the bathroom and starts the water in the tub.

"I put a bath in for you. I'll grab some sleep clothes and clean these. Just leave them outside the door," he says. Ben nods and steps into the bathroom. He strips off the clothes and placed them outside the door. A towel was laid on the toilet seat folded up neatly. The water was warm and had bubbles aligned on the top. He sits in the tub, sinking low enough that the water covers his chest. The feeling from the man dissipates, calming him.

"Hey, Ben. PJ's are outside the door". Benjamin. He still remembers when he first picked out that name all those years ago...

_He was looking through a baby names book. Some didn't seem to stand out yet. "Dylan" was an option, but "Gabriel" was a good name too. Or does he want to be unique and be "Max"? Too many good male names that didn't sit well with him. He looked around his room in hopes of inspiration, but nothing came up. The name "Theodore" didn't sound right also._

_"What am I going to-"_

_"Hey! Open this door! Come and party you freak!" yelled a voice from outside his room. He looks at the door and the colorful lights shining from under the crack. With that kind of partying comes unpaid bills and less money for food. He sighs and looks at his band posters. One of them had the band_ Imagine Dragons _on it. Their bassist was someone he looked up to. Ben Mckee. Full name: Benjamin._

_"Benjamin..." he mutters with a smile. That was it. That was the name he wanted to go by. He takes out a notebook and a pen and writes it out. It was perfect. A crash sounds from outside of his door. He would tell his friends later when they were soberer than they are now._

Ben finishes cleaning himself in the tub and changes into the PJ's Rowlf set for him. They were a bit big on him, yet soft as a blanket. He walks to the living room, finding his sleeping area already set up. There was an extra pillow at the head and a better blanket on the couch. He usually sets it up himself before going to bed. On the table next to the couch were his sunglasses. The crack shone more in the light of the lamp.

"Hey, heading to bed. Night," Rowlf says before retreating to his room. Ben nods and slips under the blanket. It was definitely comfortable, but he couldn't bring himself to sleep even after turning out the light. A song began to come into his head. A lullaby of sorts. He hums it to himself, falling asleep shortly after.

***

He was walking on a path that led to nowhere. Over the abyss where the lost and broken reached up for help. An ocean of sorrow and sadness. Occasionally, a hand of support would come for some. Above were the eyes of judgment, picking out the few to be helped. He kept walking, not looking at the eyes of judgment, for they could easily knock him off his path.

"It's all my fault!"

"I need help!"

"I don't need help!" Various voices, faint, yet distinguishable, yelled from below. All wanting something, and nothing at the same time. Suddenly, there was a crackling sound behind him. The path was crumbling under his feet. Ben ran as fast as he could, but he felt slower with each step. A white light began to shine brightly in front of him and he reached out to touch it. It was his hand of support in the form of a person.

"Let me help," it seemed to whisper. It held out its hand and Ben reached out with his. Soon, the path crumbled under his feet just as he was about to touch the light. Their fingertips brushed past each other as the path breaks.

No! He was so close! Not now! A silent scream emits from his mouth as he falls into the abyss. The light begins to shine brighter until it becomes as bright as the sun. It blinds Ben as he comes in contact with the rest of the lost and broken...

***

Ben wakes up on the floor, panting It was morning and Rowlf could be heard in the kitchen, preparing some breakfast. He sighs and stands up from the ground, placing the blanket on the couch.

"You OK over there? I heard a thump," Rowlf asks, walking into the room. He looks at Ben surprised. Ben reaches for his face, wiping off something wet on his cheeks. He traces the lines to his eyes. Had it been such a bad dream to make him cry in his sleep? Rowlf walks over and helps him to a chair.

"My apologies, Mr. Rowlf. I did not mean to startle you," Ben says, wiping away the dried tear streaks.

"Hey, it's OK. Just a nightmare. We all have them". He nods, covering his eyes. He couldn't describe what he had dreamt about and began to forget a majority of the details. Rowlf hands him his sunglasses, taking note of the crack still present. He then remembers something as Ben grabs them.

"Oh, Ben. Last night, Zoot saw your broken sunglasses and said that you could have one of his extra, rounded lens shades. We can go to an eye doctor and have them put in your prescription," he says, taking the said shades from his jacket pocket. They looked as if they came from the early 1900s, yet they were the same frame shape and size as his sunglasses. He nods at the idea, slipping his old ones on his face.

"I would like that very much, Mr. Rowlf". Rowlf smiles, but not before he smells burning from the kitchen and hurries off. Ben looks at the sunglasses again and takes them in his hands. They were recently cleaned judging by the reflectiveness of the lights on the glass.

"Hey, you don't mind burn eggs, right?" Rowlf asks from the kitchen.

"Not at all".

"Good, because I burned them... and the bacon... " The piano dog peeks his head back into the room with an embarrassed smile. Ben sighs at it but cracks a small smile as well. He places the new sunglasses on the table next to the couch and goes to eat whatever breakfast Rowlf had attempted to cook up.


	11. Chapter 11

**Words: 2172**

Rowlf drops off Ben at work per usual, but it seems different. Everything else looked the same, yet the atmosphere held something new. Many eyes lay on him as he walked through the office. Out of embarrassment, he walks to a random desk and stands next to it, which causes more eyes to stare at him.

"Hey, weirdo! What are ya doing next to me, eh?!" voice booms behind him. He turns around, coming face to face with a green monster with two horns protruding from his head and angry eyes staring at him. He towered over the technician menacingly.

"Aren't ya gonna say something?!" he asks as Ben backs away. He walks into Lew, not breaking eye contact with the monster.

"Ben! I- What are you looking at?" Ben points to the green monster, who throws some trashed mail into his mouth. Lew looks at where he's pointing and carefully leads Ben away from his desk.

"Who was that?"

"Carl the Big Mean. He mainly eats bunnies, so no worries".

"He eats rabbits?" Ben looks at Lew questioningly. Lew nods and brings him to where Harry is standing. He sits down in a nearby chair and looks around. Pairs of eyes turned away from him quickly.

"Can somebody please inform me why everyone is staring at me today?"

"Don't ask me, I stay out of drama for the most part," Harry replies, balancing a pencil on his finger. Lew shrugs as well, having no clue on what was going on. He looks around again and moves so his back is facing the rest of the office. Yolanda walks by a few moments after and stops, tapping Ben's shoulder.

"Ben, are you alright?" she asks in a worried tone. Ben nods and asks Yolanda why everyone is staring at him. Yolanda looks at him and sighs, patting his shoulder lightly.

"We heard about what happened last night. Outside of Rowlf's?" Ben freezes at the thought. Somehow, word had gotten around about the _incident_ that had occurred that night. He wanted to disappear at that moment as his skin began to feel off. The places from before felt itchy and dirty. Ben hugs himself as Harry and Lew try to bring him back to Earth. He runs out of the room and into the nearest bathroom, locking himself in one of the stalls. Tears came up again as he sits on the ground. It seemed like a crying day today, but he didn't want to make everyone pitying him. He didn't need that, yet he wanted someone close at the same time. The door to the bathroom opens and he could see familiar shoes walk in.

"Ben? It's Harry. Can I just... Sit out here?" Ben only hums in response, his voice shaky. Harry sits on the other side of the door, his left side facing the space on the bottom. Both don't know what to do for the moment.

"Everyone else was kinda crowded at the door and I was the first to volunteer to go in. I figured you'd want someone close to chat with," he explains. Ben moves closer to the door and hesitantly grabs Harry's knee. He's visibly shaking and Harry, not sure if he's doing it correctly, gently pets it. It seems to calm him down.

"So, other than last night, what's going on?"

"My uncle's date of birth is approaching".

"You have an Uncle? Lucky".

"I had an uncle".

"Oh, did he pass?"

"Years ago, yes". Harry sighs and pats Ben's hand. More silence passes before he speaks up again.

"I'm sorry for your loss".

"It is fine. Thank you for conversating with me, Harry".

"No problem, Ben". The stall door opens and the technician moves to Harry's side. Harry tenses up at the action but soon relaxes into it, slinging his arm around Ben's shoulders.

"Everyone was concerned?"

"Yeah, that's one of the rare times where we come together that isn't a meeting". Harry chuckles at his own comment. Ben cracks a smile for a short second before Lew walks in and sighs. He seemed like he was looking for something.

"Geez, guys! I was looking everywhere for you!" he exclaims, pulling both of them to their feet. They brush themselves off and look at Lew. After washing their hands, he pulls them out of the restroom and back into the office.

"Where did you think we were?"

"Do you know how many restrooms there are? A lot!" he begins to ramble about not finding the right room where they were at. Ben looks away, clearly bored at his ranting. He sees a nearby calendar and checks the date, making sure his uncle's birthday is arriving. Harry taps his shoulder and makes him follow him. They walk back outside to the pile of scrap metal and Harry starts searching through it once more.

"What are you seeking?"

"4x4 piece of metal, 12 screws that are ½ inches long, and a long 48 feet piece of metal," Harry lists, climbing on the pile. Ben starts searching at the bottom for the screws, collecting a few of them already. Harry pulls out three pieces of metal, all different sizes, and throws them to the side. Both fail to see two people walk out toward them.

"Oh, it seems as if somebody is here already," a voice calls out. Ben looks up and sees Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant, Breaker- er, Baker, or was his name Becker? He's not good at remembering his assistant's name yet. Harry looks up and waves at the two.

"Searching for some metal too, Dew?"

"Just a few pieces, Harry. For our new invention," Bunsen replies, noticing Ben's presence.

"Greetings, Benjamin! Are you here to help Mr. Harry?" he asks. Ben nods and picks up another screw. The assistant picks up one as well and drops it in the pile growing on Ben's palm. He only spoke in "Meeps", which made communication difficult.

"Greetings, Mr..."

"His name is Beaker!" Harry interjects from his spot above. Ben looks at him and then back at Beaker, sighing.

"Greetings, Mr. Beaker. It is nice to see you and Dr. Honeydew today". Beaker smiles and gives him a thumbs-up before starting to search as well. The four(4) of them pushed away all the metal, looking for their desired pieces. Ben finishes finding the screws and finds the 48 feet piece of metal easily.

"Oh, Beakie! I've found what we were looking for!" Bunsen exclaims, looking for Beaker. Beaker had gotten stuck under a giant piece and was kicking his legs. Harry slides down from his spot and tries to help Bunsen pull him out. Neither of them could do it. Ben grabs Beaker's ankles and pulls him out with ease. Beaker lets out a sigh of relief and stands up.

"Meep mee, mee," he says, earning a confused look from the technician.

"Could you translate that?"

"He said 'Thank you, Ben". I do say, you are stronger than you look," Bunsen comments. The scientist and his assistant leave with their desired piece, leaving Harry and Ben alone once more. 

"Oh, hey, found that 4x4. Let's go inside," Harry says. They pick up the pieces and weave their way to the workshop area, where the sets are usually made. They set their items on an empty worktable and leave them there.

"Is this where they are needed?"

"Yeah. They're making a new part of the set. We can just chill now".

"Harry, if you do not mind, I would appreciate it if you could drop me by the Electric Mayhem's band room," Ben says with his hands behind his back. Harry nods and the two walk to the room. Floyd and Janice were on one couch and Dr. Teeth was on the other. Animal sat in his hammock and Lips was reading a book on the ground. Zoot was nowhere to be seen, strangely. Faint music could be heard from a hidden speaker.

"I'll leave ya to them," Harry says before departing.

"May I come in?"

"We would be happy to have your presence here". Apprehensive steps make their way to the couch where Dr. Teeth is sitting and he sits down at the other end. The room didn't hold the scared or terrified feeling from the previous time he was in there. It felt safe and secure, similar to Rowlf's house or the alleyway on some nights. His stance is stiff, something Animal could sense from his spot.

"Oh, nice to see ya, Ben," Floyd calls out. Ben nods and curls up against the arm of the sofa. He could feel someone sit next to him in the space between him and the bandleader. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a head of yellow hair and a book. Lips had taken up the space between, getting in a comfortable sitting position.

"Hey, you heard the fuzz about Gonzo and Deadly?" Dr. Teeth asks. The band leans in at the news. Ben pays no mind to the subject and tries to relax. He had his eyes closed only for a second when a loud noise causes him to open them. His eyes saw the feet of his friends.

"JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE OUR LEADER DOESN'T MEAN YOU MAKE OUR DECISIONS!" a voice yells from his right. He looks up to see two of his old friends arguing in front of them. One was intoxicated with alcohol, her stance swaying slightly. The other had a lit cigarette in her mouth, a puff of smoke escaping her lips. Ben couldn't tell all of the details on them, but they were definitely a bit hungover. Both of their screams seemed so loud, it could've deafened someone.

"Kali, you're not helping anything!"

"Neither are you, Desie!"

"It's Desiree, you-"

"Shut up! I have a headache!" Yelled another voice. She walked in holding her head.

"You passed out in the bathtub! Why should you have a say in this?" Desiree yells. She sounded as if the effects of the cigarette were working. The shouts start again, this time between all the women about their anger, all blending into loud white noise. Ben curls up and shuts his eyes again, tears streaming down his cheeks. He knew he couldn't do anything to stop them or they'll yell at him. His hands reach for his long hair and they start pulling at it. In the spur of the moment, he screams something that made the room go silent.

"STOP YELLING! I CAN NOT TAKE YOUR ARGUING ANY LONGER!" The air stays still, only shaky breaths escaping his lungs. After a few minutes, a hand carefully grasps one of his hands. He lets go of his hair and holds the hand. It seemed almost the same size as his.

"It's OK, take deep breaths. You're going to be fine," a new voice says. It was calm and quiet with a hint of familiarity. His fear slowly dissipates and a funny feeling comes to his brain. Recent memories returned to him and his eyes shot open. He was back at his work, back in the band's hangout room. Six(6) pairs of eyes were on him. Zoot had returned and was kneeling in front of his curled up position.

"There, see? No one is yelling," he says, rubbing his thumb over the top of Ben's hand. Ben looks at the worried faces and wipes away the tears on his cheeks. He sits cross-legged and hugs himself, sighing quietly. Twice this has happened in the same place. A poor sequence of events leading up to this once again.

"Are you gonna walk out again?" Janice asks. Ben shakes his head, squeezing Zoot's hand. More pity for him doesn't seem like the answer and the other Muppets were worried enough about the incident last night.

"My apologies for causing a ruckus again," he says, looking away. Eye contact seemed intimidating at the moment.

"Hey, it's OK. I sometimes have a thing where I get really bad flashbacks. The band's always with me to help". Zoot gives him a small smile. Animal drags over a blanket and wraps it around Ben's shoulders. He pats the drummer on the head as gratitude. Lips hands him a warm cup of tea, peppermint by the scent of it. Ben isn't used to this much affection before and would thank the band continuously if he could.

"Do you wanna help us pick the music for our next gig?" Dr. Teeth asks, gesturing to the papers on the table. Ben nods and the band sits down to search through the music pieces. Different songs lay on the table, each unique in its tune and notes. This picking of tunes took Ben's mind off of everything that happened and calmed him down along with the tea. He felt closer to the band that day. It was almost as if he was joining them with how they interacted with each other. The feeling was something he hadn't felt in a long time.

It was contentment. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Words: 2020**

The sun disappears behind the horizon and everyone departs for the night. Ben stands on the sidewalk again until Rowlf pulls up next to him. Before he steps in, someone calls his name. He turns around to see Uncle Deadly walk out with a bag. Something told him that it was his new binder.

"Good news: I have completed your request early. It's all ready," the phantom says, giving the bag to the technician.

"Thank you, Mr. Deadly". Ben climbs into the passenger seat and looks inside the bag. It was the chest binder, brand new. It was green and looked to cover his chest well. He goes over all the protocols of wearing the piece of clothing in his mind and smiles to himself.

"What's that?" Rowlf asks, leaning a bit to see.

"A chest binder. It is for... transgender people

"Oh, I was gonna buy one for ya, but it seems like I don't need to". Ben looks at the dog with a surprised face. How long had he known? There was no recall of telling him, so how did he figure it out?

"How did you...?"

"You know how dogs have certain senses about things? Yeah, it was something like that," Rowlf says, "also, I saw it in the wash last night". The technician sinks into his seat, afraid of judgment from Rowlf. Would he be kicked out? Would he be fired if he told Kermit? Silence fills the air on the drive home again until Rowlf speaks up.

"Hey, no matter what, I support you. You're you and that's pretty neat," he says, patting Ben's shoulder. Ben looks at him a little relieved. They pull up to the house and he walks straight to the bathroom. He was going to try it on only for a minute since his time with his other binder was almost finished. Locking the door, he slips off his shirt and older binder and puts on the new one. It was tight around his chest and it was smooth when he ran his hand over it.

"How does it look?"

"It looks amazing". Ben steps out and Rowlf smiles at the sight. Sleeping clothes sat in his paws and his floppy ears raised a bit.

"That does look amazing. I'm gonna guess you'll wear it tomorrow?" Ben nods, smiling too much to answer. He doesn't remember the last time he's smiled this much, but he wasn't going to stop. Almost as much as when he got his first binder.

"I am very happy, Mr. Rowlf!"

"I can tell. How about changing into this, hm?" Rowlf holds out the PJs to Ben and gently pushes him back into the bathroom. A few moments later, he comes out in the PJs and his new binder in his arms. Situating himself on the couch, Ben folds the piece of clothing with his other outfit and snuggles under the covers.

\---

He felt more confident when walking into work the next few days. Everyone saw his slight change in demeanor and it seemed to spread to them. The office seemed livelier than before. Even Miss Piggy was in a joyful mood for once, slightly scaring the others. Nonetheless, his happy face spread to the rest of the Muppets quickly.

"Hey, Ben. What's up?" Harry greets, tired eyes meeting his. The sound of pills clicking together fills the air as Lew nods in agreement.

"May I inform you two of something?" Ben asks in a low voice. They nod and lean in. Ben tells them about being transgender and receiving his chest binder. Lew happily hugs the technician, pulling Harry into it as well. Harry awkwardly pats Ben on the back and breaks off from the hug quickly.

"Dude, that's awesome!"

"That is the reason for my excited stance".

"Alright, how about we work on your talking next," Harry suggests. Ben tilts his head to the side.

"Yeah, so you don't sound like Sam! Uh, no offense," Lew looks at the eagle with a guilty smile. Sam lets out a huff and walks off, his feathers puffed up in annoyance.

"Where are they currently?"

"They _should_ be on the stage".

"C'mon, the band and Walter are pretty good at this kind of stuff," Lew says, beginning to lead his friends towards the stage. Scooter was doing a sound check with the group of musicians with Walter helping him out. They approach the two at the sound booth first, causing the two to look up.

"And that's the- oh, hey, guys. Do you need anything?" Scooter asks, still pointing to a button for Walter to press. Lew doesn't get to respond when a loud noise pierces the air, causing almost everyone to cover their ears. Ben looks to Harry, who was mostly unfazed by the sound and had only winced for a second. The pyrotechnician had probably heard explosions louder than what was being heard on the speakers. Scooter reaches over and presses another button, making the sound stop.

"Um, anyway! Hi, Benjamin!" Walter speaks up, waving at the technician. Ben waves back as Harry sighs.

"You know how Ben talks too formal?"

"Yeah?"

"See where I'm going?" Ben watches Scooter's face turn from confused to understanding. Walter's reaction was mainly the same, with the addition of a smile. He shares a look with the Gofer and walks to him.

"Alright, when do we start?" he asks confidently. Ben watches Harry walk to the band and asks for their assistance as well. Floyd and Zoot return with the pyrotechnician. The bassist seemed to be nudging Zoot awake every once in a while. Lew leads them to an empty room with a whiteboard, dry-erase markers, and a few chairs.

"To start, you need to condense a few words," Walter begins. For the next half-hour, their attempts of changing his speech patterns seem to have a small effect on him. Ben began to use simpler words that shortened his sentences and conjugated others. Floyd's stomach growled loudly in the middle of Walter's sentence.

"Let's take a break, man. I'm starving!"

"I guess we could use a break". Walter lets out a sigh as his stomach growls. Almost everyone heads out of the room. Ben began to follow when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Its owner was Zoot and he looked pretty nervous about something.

"Oh, hey. Uh, Ben! Ben, right," he says as the door closes.

"What do you... need, Zoot?" Ben replies, attempting to use their teaching in the conversation.

"How are you?"

"I... I'm good. How are you?"

"Good. Good. Listen, I had... a lot of fun two days ago at lunch. The most fun I've had in a long while. I was... uh". Zoot stops himself. Ben could tell that he was picking his words carefully and was fiddling with his shirt sleeve. The same stance when he asked him for lunch the day before.

"You were what?"

"Well, the band's got a gig coming up and I thought we would have time to hang again..." Zoot rubs his neck, looking a little disappointed. Ben has a small idea on what's going on and asks the question for him.

"Did you want to re... ask if I am free for another hang out when you return?"

"Yeah! Er, yup! Only if you're cool with it, man". Zoot shoves his hands in his pockets and looks to his side. If Ben was any closer, he could swear that a tinge of blush rested on Zoot's cheeks.

"Of course. When you return, you may find me so we can plan the event," Ben answers before attempting to leave the room. Zoot stops him again and he turns his head at the musician.

"Wait. Did you get the sunglasses I gave Rowlf?" he asks quickly.

"I did receive them and I'm grateful for them".

"Cool. That's cool". Ben leaves to the craft services table to find something for him to eat. The Swedish Chef was singing his usual song that barely anyone understood, throwing a ladle and a wooden spoon behind him.

"Ouch! What the- Chef!" yells Scooter. Ben could see him rubbing his head behind the chef. Sometimes he feels sorry for the Gofer. He could see Zoot walk up to his side and take one of the sandwiches the studio provided for lunch. Ben grabs an apple and takes a bite from it, walking to where Harry and Lew were standing.

"Is it strange that Zoot has asked me to 'hang out' once again?" he asks when close enough. Harry shrugs and continues to eat. Ben should've known he wouldn't be interested in the subject.

"Oh, sounds like he's got a crush on you," Lew says, taking a bite from his food. The technician looks behind him where the bassist was talking to Zoot, who held a light blush on his cheeks. Whatever Floyd was telling him seemed embarrassing because Zoot pulls his hat over his face just a moment after.

"You good there? What the hell are you staring at?" Harry asks, looking in the same direction. Ben snaps his focus back to Harry and blocks his view with his hand.

"Oh, he was looking at Zoot".

"Really? Lemme guess, still got a crush on him?" Harry groans, throwing the rest of his food in the garbage. Ben watches the barely eaten food fall into the trash bin, yet doesn't comment on it.

"What are the signs of a 'crush'?"

"Being nervous, fidgeting, blushing, staring like you were just doing," Lew lists off, counting his fingers.

He starts, "I don't have a crush on him. We are just-"

"Hey, Ben! C'mere, I wanna ask ya something!" Floyd yells from behind him.

"Go to him. It might be important, knowing Floyd," Harry urges on. Lew nods in agreement before Ben walks to the two musicians. Zoot was looking away from Ben as he got closer.

"So, you play the bass?"

"Yes, I do. You repaired my instrument".

"Oh yeah, Kinda forgot". Floyd chuckles, making Zoot look at him. Ben could see his face grow flush and start to fidget with his sleeve as well.

"You play? That's, uh, cool," Zoot adds in, stuttering a bit.

"I do seem to be a little 'rusty' with my playing though".

"I can teach ya when we get back from this gig," the bassist offers. Ben nods. Having someone who has more knowledge on the instrument would be beneficial to him.

"I would enjoy that, Mr. Floyd".

"Cosmic, man. Maybe you can tag along the next gig too". Zoot's blush grew on his cheeks at the extra comment. Ben looks at him and takes note of all the body language he was expressing. Was he really 'crushing' on him or was he nervous about their next musical event?

"Maybe I can help? Uh, for tuning?"

"Sure, Zoot. That would be nice!" Floyd exclaims, muttering something to the saxophone player. The three are interrupted when Carl yells at Rizzo and Pepe, threatening to eat them the next time they do something that annoys him. Everyone in the hearing range shudders at it.

"I should accompany Harry and Mr. Lew now. It was delightful to talk to you," Ben says before walking back to the two men. Harry looked bored as Lew was explaining something to him.

"And then there's Jerry, who's the newest addition to- Hey, Ben's back!" Lew says, enveloping the technician in a hug. Ben wiggles free from his grasp and straightens out his clothes. The smell of fish was now coated on the front of his shirt.

"What were you two talking about?

"Lew was telling me all the names of his boomerang fish... Help me, please," Harry informs, obviously not interested in Lew's school of performers.

"I'll go through the names again-"

"Lew! Lew, I think he can hear about them later," Harry proposed, causing Ben to nod as well. Even he didn't want to hear about these fish, especially since he smelled of one at the moment. He excuses himself to the bathroom so that he could try to rid his shirt of the unpleasant aroma. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Words: 2075**

_TW: Overdose_

Weeks pass and everything seems to go smoothly except Harry was growing more and more distant from Ben and Lew. Lew has attempted to talk to him multiple times, but he wouldn't say anything and keep assuring him that he was OK. One morning, he hadn't shown up to work. Nobody had seen him enter and Mr. Frog was worried about something judging by his body language.

"Have you messaged him on your digital device?"

"I texted him a dozen times!"

"Guys, morning meeting," Floyd says, pointing to the stage. They sit at the table and wait for Kermit to show up and announce something. It seemed like Lew and Ben were the only ones worried about the pyrotechnician. Kermit walks up with his usual notes and a suspicious-looking letter.

"Alright, everyone! Welcome to another meeting!" he announces, his voice wavering a little. The crowd silences immediately. He gulps and holds up the letter, opening it in front of everyone. After a few moments of silence, he speaks up.

"You all know Harry is our fireworks specialist. Well, this says that he's, um, taking a small break to, uh, to collect his thoughts. We should all respect that," he informs. Ben observes his movements and frowns. The frog was lying. All of the signs were there and there was more to that letter than what he said. Kermit continues the meeting, leaving both Lew and Ben wondering what happened. After the meeting, the frog pulls them both aside.

"Mr. Frog? What's going on?"

"Harry never takes days off. I've heard around the office about his behavior getting worse and figured you two would know why he did this". The two men look at each other and shake their heads. Neither of them has heard anything from Harry that day. Both promise to keep trying to talk to him throughout the day.

"It doesn't make sense, Ben! Why would he leave without saying anything?" Lew asks as they walk back into the office. Just as they sit down, his phone vibrates with a message from Harry. He texts back, rubbing his arm.

"What does it say?"

"It says "I'm not feeling good". That could mean a lot of things". Ben gives a concerned look at the message. After a few minutes, another notification comes up. Lew checks it and seems shocked. Ben looks at him and grows worried, seeing his body tense up instantly.

"Lew, what does it say?" he asks, looking more alert. Lew doesn't say anything and stands up. He grabs Ben's arm and starts walking out of the building. In response, Ben struggles to get out of his grasp. Talking didn't look like the option. What was he doing? Why isn't he answering him? In a final attempt, he slams his fist on Lew's lower arm and moves away. They were in front of what looked like his car.

"Lew, what're you doing?!"

"Harry needs us! Please! He doesn't need to be pushed away anymore!" Lew yells. Luckily, no one was around to stare, but Ben's confusion grew at the statement.

"What did he say?"

"I-I can explain in the car. Ben, you gotta trust me!" The technician looks at him and nods hesitantly. They climb into the vehicle and drive away. Lew hands Ben his phone with the message opened on the screen. It was a long paragraph of sorry's and bringing himself down. How long had he kept this to himself? The subjects of the paragraph changed from work to his friends and family. One person seemed to be coming back into thought. A man named Jerry.

"He wrote this?"

"I've never seen him so depressed. I guess that's why he was acting weird". Lew was tense about the situation enough. It seemed like anything worse would make him break in a million pieces.

"Who's 'Jerry'? He seems important," Ben asks, reading through the words again.

"Jerry... Jerry Nelson was our original puppeteer before we got situated with Matt Vogel. Harry got assigned to him from John Lovelady in the first season, I think. He passed in 2012 for health reasons," Lew explains, accidentally taking a very sharp turn.

"Has the passing of Mr. Nelson affected Harry's behavior?"

"Probably! He's not telling me anything nowadays".Minutes passed when they arrived at a small house. The side was covered with a large tarp supported by bricks on the bottom and, what seem to be, nails at the top. Various small pieces of metal lay in the yard and blackened spots were sprinkled on the roof. It looked like something from a cartoon. Lew immediately jumps out of the car and runs to the door. Ben follows close behind, avoiding the jagged metal pieces.

"Harry?! Harry, open up! It's Lew and Ben!" The technician breaks down the door with a swift kick and the two head inside. Silence followed the loud break and the air was still inside the building. A faint smokey small reached their noses with each step they took.

"Check in his room. It's upstairs to the right," Lew informs before splitting up. Ben walks up the stairs and looks inside his room. The door was slightly open and the lights were off. When the sunlight from the hallway reached the center of the room, that's when he saw him. Ben could feel tears forming in his eyes at the sight.

"Harry?"

There on the ground was Harry with his pill bottle not far from him. He was laying on his left side with his left arm stretched out. The scene triggers something in his mind, as if he's seen this before. Nevertheless, he pushes the thought away and checks for any signs of life. Closely listening, the technician could make out small intakes of air.

"Lew, I found him!"

"Is he still breathing?!"

"Yes! Call 9-1-1 immediately!" Lew runs into the room moments after, desperately asking the police to send over an ambulance. A waterfall of tears finally breaks through Ben. The memory becomes even more clearer as he holds onto Harry's hand. Authorities arrive and doctors quickly stabilize Harry, taking him to the ambulance. Ben watches the vehicle disappear down the street.

"Hey, Ben, we gotta get back to work," Lew says, patting his shoulder. Both climb back into Lew's car and drive back to the studio. The technician stares out the window, watching trees and buildings pass by.

"You said this has not happened before?"

"Never before. I have a feeling what it is though". Ben wipes away the dried tear streaks on his face. He stays quiet until they get to a red light. He couldn't ignore the memory that had returned to his conscience.

"It... It reminded me of something..."

"Something bad?"

"Yes, something bad..." The light flicks to green, making the car lurch forward.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I am not comfortable about sharing my past experiences". Silence again. Ben looks at Lew, hoping he would respect his wishes. Nothing came out of his mouth. Once the two got back to work, they went their separate ways. Ben wasn't as keen on walking around the office by himself. The Electric Mayhem were still out of town and Yolanda was jam-packed with papers. Bobo the Bear seemed busy as well going over the plans for the show. The technician walked down one of the hallways until he found a door ajar. With nowhere else to be, he walks in and curls up in a ball on the floor. Tears poured out and he failed to notice someone opening the door.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know somebody was in here," a voice speaks up. Ben looks up to find a... Well, a thing with brown skin, a hat, and a plaid button-up. He was holding a mop in his hands and looked very confused at Ben's presence.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Beauregard. Everyone calls me Bo".

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bo". Bo leans in and leans his mop against the wall, under some tape with "Belleregard" written on it.

"What's your name?"

"I am called Benjamin".

"Are you supposed to be called something else?" he asks, tilting his head. Apparently, this Bo character takes things a bit too literally. Ben shakes his head and buries his face in his knees.

"Uh, what are you doing in the Janitor's closet?"

"I am... I did not have any work to complete". Bo nods and sits next to him on the floor. The technician raises his head again, seeing himself at eye level with Bo.

"Well, we have that in common. I just finished cleaning craft services," he says with excitement. Ben wipes away the tear marks on his face and sniffs. This causes Bo to raise an eyebrow and grab a box of tissues.

"Thank you".

"No problem. Why are you crying?"

" Mr. Lew and I had... A bad thing came up with Harry," Ben explains, taking a tissue from the box. He didn't wipe his tears, instead crumbling it up in his hand. Keeping the situation anonymous would be difficult. Lew was probably going to Kermit's office to inform him of the news.

"Oh, Harry. I think I've heard of him. He's a really crazy guy".

"He is named 'Crazy Harry', Mr. Bo". Bo lets out a laugh, his shoulders bouncing.

"Right, I keep forgetting". The technician nods, uncurling from his position on the ground.

"Wait a second, you're the new guy! I've always wanted to meet you!" Bo says, surprised. Ben nods just as Kermit walks up to them. He stands up and looks at the frog with anticipation. He couldn't find any news, good or bad, from the frog's body language.

"Is Harry going to be OK?"

"He is. I got a call from the hospital," Kermit informs. Ben sighs in relief. He just needed to find time to visit the hospital in his schedule, or lack of. Kermit seems to notice and adds one more thing.

"I've arranged for you and Lew to visit him after lunch today".

"Thank you, Mr. Frog". The amphibian nods and walks away. Ben bids Bo goodbye and heads to the office area once more. It still felt empty without Harry's presence, but the thought of visiting him filled his heart with some delight. With nowhere else to be, he walks to Yolanda's desk again and stands next to it. Thought spun in his head as he stood in place.

"Hey," Yolanda speaks up, stopping what she was writing.

"Greetings".

"I heard about Harry. Hope the fella's OK".

"I... I'll be visiting him alongside Mr. Lew after lunch," Ben informs. Yolanda stands from her seat and grabs a paper sack lunch.

"Well, it's lunch right now. Be ready to leave soon," she says, heading to the break room. Ben looks at the clock, tilting his head. Apparently he had been standing in that place for three hours at the most. No wonder his legs suddenly felt stiff. He follows behind Yolanda as quick as he could, popping a joint as he goes. Grabbing a pear from craft services, he takes a seat at an empty table. Two people sit across from him not long after.

"And I told Gary about it. He didn't believe it!" Walter's voice exclaims. Looking up, it was indeed Walter with Scooter. They always seemed to be with each other, around the workplace and outside of work. Scooter was the first of the two to notice the technician slumped in his chair.

"Oh, hey... should we move?"

"No, you're fine". He nods and turns to Walter again, bringing up another 'nerdy' topic. Ben finishes the pear and throws it in the trash. He decides to sit in the audience chairs until it's time to leave. There was still twenty(20) minutes until the time arrived. He stares at the stage, specifically at the houseband's area. The last few shows, Ben was assigned to shine the spotlight on the guest. If he squinted, he could swear that Zoot was looking up at him through the darkness. The saxophone player was always finding new ways to accompany Ben around the office.

"I do wonder why he does that," Ben says to himself, tapping his fingers on the armrest. When lunch was over, he found Lew standing at the entrance and prepared to leave. Ben walks to him and lets out a sigh.

"Ready to leave?"

"Yes. Let us depart to Harry's location". 


End file.
